Gunmen abduct 10 passengers in Benue
Gunmen have once again hijacked a Benue Links bus, abducting 10 passengers, including the driver, along the Owukpa-Orokam road in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State. Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred around 7 pm on Saturday, nearly two months after a similar attack on the state-owned transport company’s vehicle. On April 3 […]
Gunmen have once again hijacked a Benue Links bus, abducting 10 passengers, including the driver, along the Owukpa-Orokam road in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred around 7 pm on Saturday, nearly two months after a similar attack on the state-owned transport company’s vehicle.
On April 3 this year, gunmen had previously hijacked a Benue Links bus in Ikobi, Otukpo LGA, killing the driver and two passengers and abducting 14 others.
A resident of the Owukpa community, Grace, who spoke to journalists in Makurdi, confirmed that the victims were returning from Orba market in Enugu State to Owukpa in Benue when they were ambushed.
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Grace narrated that the attackers shot the driver and a passenger, causing the vehicle to veer off the road.
One female passenger reportedly managed to escape, while the rest, including women nursing infants, were taken captive.
“One of the victims was left behind because he was bleeding heavily from gunshot wounds, which the kidnappers feared might compromise their hideout,” she said.
Residents said the injured victim is currently receiving treatment at the intensive care unit of St. Mary’s Hospital in Okpoga, Okpokwu LGA.
Leader of the Owukpa vigilante group, Amos Agada, confirmed the incident, noting that as of Sunday morning, June 1, the kidnappers had yet to make contact with the victims’ families.
He, however, assured that local security groups were working to rescue the abducted passengers.
Also, a community leader, Adikwu Daniel, urged the Ogbadibo council chairman and security agencies to act swiftly, emphasising the need for a sustained security presence along the increasingly dangerous Owukpa-Orokam route.
“The area has long been a danger zone, and no serious security network is in place to prevent or reduce these attacks,” he warned.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Benue Links Transport Company, Ehi Johnson, said he could not comment on the incident at the time but promised to provide updates later.
Efforts to reach the new Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to her mobile phone were not answered at the time of filing this report.