Amid the controversy trailing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s attempt to downplay kidnappings in the country, at least 10 passengers en route Onitsha from Ondo State are said to have been abducted at Ita-Ogbolu in Akure LGA of Ondo state on Tuesday.
According to reports, the passengers including the driver were kidnapped early Tuesday.
While the Ondo State Police Command has denied report of the alleged kidnapping, the Akure/Ado unit of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Oyemekun confirmed the incident to newsmen on Wednesday.
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“The vehicle involved belongs to our union. It picked passengers in Ado-Ekiti and they were heading to Onitsha but they were attacked by herdsmen around NYSC junction,” the union’s secretary, Festus Omoniyi, told TheCable.
“The incident happened around 6am. There were 10 people in the vehicle, including the driver. All of them were taken into the forest. The bus is presently parked at Iju police station. We gathered that policemen could not go into the forest to confront those holding innocent people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Femi Joseph, has denied the report, saying only the bus driver was kidnapped along the Akure highway.
His words: “The Ondo State Police Command wishes to allay the fear of the general public as a result of the news making the rounds on the Social media that an eighteen seater bus conveying some passengers from Ikere to Akure was blocked and ten passengers kidnapped.
“Some Online bloggers even referred to the victims as youth corps members. We wish to state that the story was exaggerated and good enough, the State Coordinator of NYSC in Ondo State has issued a statement, denying that any corps member was involved.
“To set the record straight, a space bus, Toyota Previa vehicle was driven by One Akinde Felix from Ikere Ekiti en route Akure yesterday 25/6/2019, with only the driver inside.
“At about 4 am on a spot close to the NYSC camp at Itaogbolu, the vehicle was blocked by suspected hoodlums while the driver who was the only occupant was whisked away.
“The command has since begun investigation and intensifying efforts to not only rescue the victim but to also arrest the perpetrators.”
Meanwhile, Vice President Osinbajo had during his meeting with the Nigerian community in the United States on Tuesday said, “With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in parts of the country, again, this is not entirely new. In fact, some of the kidnapping stories you read or listen to are simply not true anywhere, some are fueled by politics.” Meanwhile, Vice President Osinbajo had