Twelve passengers and a driver abducted in Benue State on Sunday evening have been rescued following a drone-assisted operation by the Benue State Police Command.
The victims, who were traveling in a Benue Links transport bus from Abeokuta, Ogun State to Makurdi, the Benue State capital, were kidnapped around 6:30 p.m. on the Otukpo-Otukpa-Enugu highway near Eke, in Okpokwu Local Government Area.
According to eyewitnesses, armed gunmen intercepted the vehicle, forced the passengers into the bush after robbing them of their belongings, and disappeared into the surrounding forest.
In a statement issued Monday, the management of Benue Links confirmed the abduction, identifying the bus by registration number 14B – 143BN. The company noted that 12 passengers and the driver were onboard at the time of the attack.
“One of the passengers managed to escape and reported the incident to the police station in Eke,” said Johnson Daniel, the company’s Information Officer. “The vehicle was later found abandoned at the roadside with some passengers’ luggage, but the driver and other passengers were missing.”
The company condemned the attack and assured that it was working closely with security agencies to ensure the safe return of the abductees.
Responding to the incident, the Benue State Police Command launched a search-and-rescue operation involving tactical police units, the military, and the Benue State Community Volunteer Guard.
Police spokesperson SP Sewuese Anene (updated from earlier Udeme Edet attribution) disclosed that security operatives had initially rescued one of the victims, identified as Paul Terna, who managed to escape from the captors during the early phase of the operation.
To enhance the search effort, the police deployed surveillance drones to scan the densely forested area where the kidnappers were believed to be hiding. As of Monday evening, Commissioner of Police Ifeanyi Emenari had personally relocated to the affected area to coordinate the rescue mission.
“There is no fresh update at the moment, but the Commissioner is on ground, and we have intensified efforts using aerial surveillance,” Anene said.
Residents in the area have expressed concern over the growing spate of kidnappings along the highway, which connects parts of the South-West to the South-East and North-Central zones.
This incident adds to a growing list of coordinated attacks on public transportation in the country, sparking renewed calls for increased highway security and intelligence-led policing.
Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice, the police said.
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