No fewer than 10 persons returning home after registration at the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration exercise were kidnapped on Friday evening along Dekina-Ajiyolo-Anyigba road in Kogi State.
They were mostly residents of Abocho community and environs who hired a bus to convey them to Dekina, the local government headquarters, to participate in the exercise.
Eyewitnesses said 41 persons were initially abducted while on their way back to Abocho after the exercise when they were ambushed and kidnapped by over 20 armed men.
Relief came as troops of the 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Lokoja, in collaboration with the local security outfit trailed the hoodlums which forced them to abandon some of the victims and escape with a few others.
“The kidnappers played a fast one on us, they released about 31 of the victims, and we thought that was all and relaxed, not knowing that they simply freed those ones to calm us. But before we realised their trick, they had gone far with about 10 victims.
“When a check of the victims was made, it was realised that there were about 10 missing, including the driver of the bus,” an eyewitness said.
Our correspondent learnt that the bus was recovered and taken to Abocho Police Station while security agencies continued search to rescue the remaining victims.
Efforts to get the police spokesman, CSP William Ayah Ovye, were futile as calls made to him could not get through at the time of filing this report.
