Omotayo Adigun
At least fifteen travellers were abducted by suspected gunmen along the Adoka-Naka Road in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State on Thursday.
The victims, who were commuting in two separate commercial vehicles, were reportedly taken from the highway into a nearby forest by the assailants.
According to Yakubu Onu, secretary of the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at the High Level Unit, the first vehicle had departed from the High Level Motor Park in Makurdi and was heading toward Lokoja via the Naka-Adoka route when it was intercepted. Six out of nine passengers on board were taken by force into the bush.
The second commercial vehicle, travelling from Ankpa in Kogi State toward Makurdi along the same route, was also attacked, with all eight passengers kidnapped.
Onu said the driver and three passengers who escaped abduction in the first vehicle later reported the incident at the police station in Naka. They were allegedly instructed to proceed with their journey, while the union awaits further details.
Information about the status of the victims from the second vehicle remains unknown, as there has been no contact since the abduction.
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Confirming the incident, the Ter Tyoshin of Gwer West, Daniel Abomtse, said the abduction took place about three kilometres from Naka town. He identified the vehicles involved as a picnic bus and a Sharon bus, adding that police authorities had released the passengers who were not taken.
Meanwhile, spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, Sewuese Anene, said she had not yet been briefed on the case and could not confirm details as of press time.
The abductions come amid rising insecurity in Benue, which has witnessed a spate of violent attacks in recent weeks. Over 200 people have reportedly been killed in separate incidents across the state in just two weeks.
Governor Hyacinth Alia has blamed the escalation on alleged “foreign elements” speaking unfamiliar languages, suggesting that the threat may go beyond the long-running farmer-herder conflict.
Earlier this week, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu described the situation in Benue as a national tragedy and assured that the federal government is taking steps to restore security in the troubled region.