Terror on the Road: Gunmen Abduct Dozens of Passengers in Kogi State
A horrific incident of mass kidnapping occurred on Saturday, when armed men ambushed two buses travelling from Kogi State to Abuja and took away scores of passengers.
The buses belonged to God Is Good Motors (GIGM) and ABC Transport, two popular transport companies in Nigeria. According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen attacked the buses at around 3 pm, near Olamaboro Local Government Area, after a sharp bend on the road. The driver of the GIGM bus managed to escape with injuries, but the rest of the passengers were forced out of the vehicles and marched into the bush.
The kidnappers later contacted some of the relatives of the victims and demanded a ransom of N15 million for each passenger. One of the affected persons, who pleaded anonymity, said his wife was among those kidnapped in the GIGM bus. He said he received a call from his wife’s phone on Sunday morning, with the kidnappers threatening to kill her if he did not pay the ransom.
He said he had alerted the GIGM company and the security agencies, but he was yet to receive any positive response. He also appealed to the public to help create awareness on social media and pressure the authorities to rescue the victims.
The incident was first reported by a social media influencer, Chude Nnamdi, who tweeted about it on Sunday. He said he had received reports from several sources about the hijacking of the buses. He also expressed his shock and dismay at the silence of the mainstream media and the government over the incident.
“Passengers in 2 loaded buses were kidnapped and everywhere is just quiet like its nothing: is this the new normal? A whole 2 buses!” he wrote.
When PRISTINEGIST contacted the spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, DSP William Aya, he confirmed the incident and said the police were working hard to rescue the victims. He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Ede Ayuba, had deployed a tactical squad comprising of Quick Response Unit, Police Mobile Force, Counter-Terrorism Unit, and conventional police personnel to the area to comb the bush and ensure all the victims were rescued unhurt.
He also urged the public to remain calm and cooperate with the police, assuring them that the kidnappers would be apprehended and brought to justice. He appealed to anyone with useful information to contact the nearest police station.
