Police Rescue 12 After Gunmen Kidnap Passengers In Ondo Forest Ambush

Police in Ondo State have rescued 12 passengers after gunmen attacked and abducted travellers in two commercial buses in a forest ambush along the Isua Akoko axis.

The victims were occupants of two Hummer buses travelling from Benue State to Ibadan when they were intercepted by armed men in the early hours of Saturday.

The attackers were said to have blocked the highway, forcing both vehicles to a halt before emerging from surrounding bush paths to carry out the abduction.

Eyewitness accounts and police sources said the gunmen ordered all passengers out of the buses at gunpoint before marching them into a nearby forest.

The abductors reportedly moved the victims deeper into the forest terrain, sparking panic among motorists and prompting a distress alert to security agencies in the area.

Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, Abayomi Jimoh, said tactical teams, local hunters, and other security stakeholders were immediately mobilised for a coordinated rescue operation.

He said the operation involved intensive bush-combing and intelligence-led tracking aimed at locating the victims and blocking possible escape routes used by the kidnappers.

According to him, sustained pressure from the combined security teams led to the successful rescue of 12 abducted victims, including the drivers of the two buses, after hours of search operations.

“The sustained pressure mounted by the combined security team yielded significant success as twelve (12) kidnapped victims, including the drivers of the affected buses, were successfully rescued alive,” Jimoh said.

He added that the rescued victims had been taken for medical evaluation and necessary care, while efforts were ongoing to rescue other passengers still believed to be in captivity.

“The Ondo State Police Command wishes to reassure the public that operations are still ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and bring all those involved in the criminal act to justice,” he added.

Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, described the attack as unacceptable and assured residents that manhunt operations had been intensified across the area.

He also urged residents of Isua Akoko and adjoining communities to provide credible and timely information to support ongoing security operations and prevent further attacks.