Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Sunday hijacked a Benue Links bus travelling along Otukpo-Ugbokolo road in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.
This is the second time in two weeks that a passenger bus belonging to the state-owned transport company would be hijacked.
Two Lagos-bound Benue Links buses were hijacked along Ajaokuta-Okene highway on Sunday, September 10, 2023 by suspected kidnappers.
Secretary General of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (Benue Links chapter), Comrade Gabriel Tachia, who confirmed the incident on Monday, said that the fully loaded bus was on its way to Makurdi from Onitsha before it was hijacked.
“Four passengers were released as of yesterday night (Sunday) after the army gave the abductors a hot chase. It was a fully loaded bus (with 15 occupants). The bus was returning from Onitsha to Makurdi,” he said.
Tachia added that eight of the 10 Lagos-bound passengers abducted in Kogi axis penultimate week had been released, the remaining two victims.
Locals said that the incident occurred at 2:30pm on Sunday and while the operation lasted over 30 minutes, motorists plying that section of the highway were helpless.
A local chief in the area, who escaped being caught up in the attack, narrated that the spot – Olanyega/Ogbodo – where the incident happened on the Otukpo-Ugbokolo-Enugu Expressway had over time become unsafe for commuters.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Benue Command, SP Catherine Anene, also confirmed the incident but did not give any details.
