Armed Men Intercept 18-Seater Bus, Abduct Passengers in Kogi

Armed men have intercepted an eighteen-seater bus at Ochonyi-Omoko village of the Abuja-Lokoja highway, abducting its passengers.

The incident occurred on Wednesday night, and according to a passenger who had escaped, the attackers emerged from the bush and opened fire on the bus.

Benjamin Isaac, who had escaped from the captors, told Daily Trust, “They opened fire on back tyres which forced the driver to lose control. When the driver veered off the road, the gunmen came out of hiding and ordered all the passengers to come out. They led us into the bush at gunpoint.”

He revealed that he boarded the bus by the roadside in Zuba while travelling to Edo State, but managed to escape with some of the passengers.

THE WHISTLER had contacted the Kogi State police command, DSP Williams Ovye Ayah, to confirm the incident, but he is yet to acknowledge the calls and texts placed on his phone line.

On July 17, ten police officers of the Nasarawa State Command were abducted by armed men in Kogi.

The officers were reportedly abducted in the Obajana area of Kogi while returning from Osun State and were a part of the police contingent in the just concluded governorship election in the state.

This incident came after 16 days the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked the Kuje Medium Correctional Service in Abuja. The terrorist group freed 879 inmates, including 60 Boko Haram members.