Operatives of the Katsina State Police Command have foiled a kidnap attempt of 50 passengers by suspected bandits who struck on the Funtua-Gusau Road. While 45 of the passengers were rescued, five others are yet to be found.
They set up a barricade near Unguwar Boka to abduct the occupant of vehicles plying the route.
The criminals allegedly opened fire on a luxury bus belonging to God Bless Ezenwata (Nig) Ltd travelling from Sokoto to Onitsha in Anambra State, and a Volkswagen Golf en route Gusau to Zaria.
Both vehicles loaded with passengers were said to have lost control and veered off the road due to the gunshots from the bandits.
In a press statement issued by the chief press secretary to Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Kaula, said upon receipt of the information, a police patrol team with an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) swiftly responded and arrived at the scene to find out that the bandits had fled into the nearby bush upon sighting them.
He said, “The security team returned fire, successfully forcing the attackers to abandon their hostages.
“A total of 45 passengers were rescued from the bus, most of them, are said to be of Igbo descent. Five additional passengers were rescued from the Golf with registration No: DKA-12YF. Thankfully, all rescued individuals are reported to be unharmed and are currently under safe custody at the station.
“The luxury bus was also retrieved from the bush with some difficulty and brought to the station for safekeeping. However, authorities are searching for five passengers who are unaccounted for and are suspected to be missing due to the trauma of the attack. Search efforts have been intensified and further developments will be communicated as they become available,” he said.
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