Fourteen passengers travelling from Enugu State to Abuja were reportedly abducted by suspected bandits after their commercial bus was ambushed in Benue State on Thursday night.
The incident occurred along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area, where the attackers reportedly forced the passengers into the bush before abandoning their vehicle on the road.
The Benue State Police Command confirmed that five of the victims, including a four-year-old boy, had been rescued. Nine others, however, remained in the custody of their alleged abductors as of Friday.
Police spokesperson DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu said a coordinated rescue operation was launched in the early hours of Friday after authorities received information about the abduction.
The operation reportedly led to an exchange of gunfire between security operatives and the suspected kidnappers, during which five victims were recovered. One of those rescued sustained a gunshot wound and was taken to a medical facility in Otukpo for treatment.
Aondongu said police operatives, working alongside other security agencies, were intensifying efforts to locate and safely rescue the remaining nine passengers. He stressed that the operation was being handled cautiously, with the safety of the victims treated as the priority.
The Benue State Commissioner of Police, CP Cletus Nwadiogbu, acknowledged the concerns of the victims’ families and the wider public, assuring them that security agencies were making concerted efforts to secure the release of those still being held.
The police urged residents in the affected communities and members of the public to remain calm and vigilant while providing credible information that could assist the rescue operation. The command also said it would continue to issue updates as the operation progresses.
