Bandits attack commercial bus on Abuja/Kaduna road, abduct passengers
Story from Usman UMAR
Numerous passengers were reportedly kidnapped after gunmen opened fire on a small commercial bus at Bishini Junction, near Katari in Kachia LGA of Kaduna State.
A resident of Katari, Saleh Ibrahim, described how the incident occurred around 9pm on Monday when the armed men appeared from the bushes at a sharp turn and began shooting at the bus carrying passengers from Abuja to Kaduna.
He explained that the armed men shot at the bus tires, causing it to veer off the road into the bushes, where they then forced all the passengers into the forest.
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Additionally, passengers from two other vehicles were also taken by the armed men.
Saleh Ibrahim expressed frustration that the area where the incident occurred was only a kilometer away from where soldiers had set up a roadblock.
The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, ASP Hassan Mansur, is expected to give more information on the attack soon.
The attack is coming few days after suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked travellers and operated for hours along the Maiduguri-Damaturu Highway near Auno Village on Tuesday evening.
The highway is 25 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Witness said the militants blocked the road and forcibly took four passengers who were traveling to Maiduguri.
Following the attack, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, accused the military and other security agencies of neglecting Guzamala Local Council to the benefit of insurgents.
He urged the Federal Government and military to deploy more security personnel to the area and provide necessary assistance to protect the civilians