Gunmen Attack Motorists On Calabar-Ikom Highway, Abduct 9 Passengers

Nine passengers were said to have been abducted into the bush by unknown gunmen along Akamkpa/Biase LGA forest in Cross River State on Tuesday.

Eyewitness account said the victims were kidnapped into the forest by the assailants.

The source, who added that he managed to escape, explained that he was among the passengers traveling from Calabar to Ikom and were unfortunately attacked by the gunmen believed to be kidnappers.

He said that their vehicles were attacked by the fierce-looking armed men, who appeared from the bush and intercepted the two vehicles at a bad spot of the Highway.

The eyewitness maintained that their attackers, who were fully armed with machetes and and guns, opened fire on the two vehicles before taking one of the drivers and the nine passengers hostage.

He said that as the victims were being dragged into the forest, that was when he and another motorist, who was driving a commercial vehicle, managed to escape toward another direction in the forest.

A viral video of the incident shows that some of victims escaped while nine others were unlucky.

Effort to get the Cross River State Police Command to speak on the incident proved abortive as the telephone number of the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Irene Ugbo, rang but she didn’t pick up her calls as at press time.

However, the permanent secretary, Special Services, Governor’s Office, Calabar, Dr. Alfred Mboto, in a telephone interview, told LEADERSHIP that he was yet to be briefed by a special security squad drafted to the area to ensure that the victims were rescued.

“Am yet to be briefed on that issue, of course you know it’s a security matter. We would let you know as soon as any new development comes up,” Mboto stated.