JUST IN: 14 Passengers Abducted In Benue, Police Rescue 4-Year-Old Boy, 4 Others

No fewer than 14 passengers travelling from Enugu State to Abuja were abducted by suspected bandits along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State, on Thursday night.

The passengers were reportedly travelling in a commercial bus when the suspected bandits ambushed the vehicle and whisked them into the bush, leaving the empty bus on the road.

Confirming the incident, the Benue State Police Command, through its spokesperson, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu, said its operatives had rescued five of the victims, including a four-year-old boy.

The police said nine other victims remained in the custody of the suspected kidnappers.

Aondongu said the Command launched a coordinated rescue operation in the early hours of Friday following the abduction.

He said the operation involved an exchange of gunfire between the security operatives and the suspected kidnappers, resulting in the rescue of five victims.

“The operation, which involved an exchange of gunfire, has so far resulted in the successful rescue of five victims, including a four-year-old boy, while nine others remain in the custody of the suspected kidnappers,” he said.

According to the police spokesperson, one of the rescued victims sustained a gunshot injury during the operation and was immediately taken to a medical facility in Otukpo, where he is receiving treatment.

Aondongu said operatives of the Command, working with sister security agencies, were intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining nine victims safely.

He added that the operation was being conducted with utmost caution, with the safety of the abducted passengers as the primary objective.

The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Cletus Nwadiogbu, acknowledged the concerns of the victims’ families and members of the public, assuring them that concerted efforts were underway to secure the safe release of those still in captivity.

The Command urged residents of the affected communities and surrounding areas to remain calm and vigilant and provide the police with credible information that could assist the ongoing rescue operation and prevent similar incidents.

The police assured the public that it would continue to provide updates as developments unfold.