Elizabeth O.
Mass Abduction on Otukpo-Enugu Road: Gunmen Seize 45 Passengers and Demand N100 Million Ransom
The incident occurred in Orokam, located in the Ogbadigbo Local Government Area of Benue state.
Eyewitnesses, including a driver from one of the commercial transportation companies in Makurdi who narrowly escaped the ambush with his passengers, provided details of the incident.
Armed men, heavily armed and emerging from the nearby forests, stopped the fully loaded 15-seater commercial buses by forcing the drivers at gunpoint. The road conditions in that area facilitated the assailants’ ability to halt the vehicles easily. The first attacker to appear was a robust individual carrying an automatic rifle and ammunition around his body. Two more individuals armed with guns joined him.
This incident took place in broad daylight around 3:30 PM on Thursday. It appears that the gunmen targeted commercial buses due to the potential for a larger ransom resulting from the abduction of multiple passengers.
In this particular case, the attackers seized passengers from three fully loaded buses traveling towards Otukpo. The driver who provided the account managed to escape with his passengers by taking advantage of the presence of a J-5 articulated vehicle in front of his own.
He, along with all his passengers, promptly fled into the bush. Fortunately, none of his passengers were captured by the armed men.
