Hoodlums abduct passengers travelling to Abuja in Kogi

An unspecified number of passengers in an 18-seater bus have allegedly been abducted at Ochadamu along Anyigba-Itobe road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

An eyewitness stated that the incident happened at about 4 p.m. on Monday at a kidnapping hotspot on the highway.

According to reports, the hoodlums in their numbers flagged down the bus which was said to be heading for Abuja from the eastern region of the country at gunpoint and whisked the passengers into the bush.

The locals added further that kidnapping activities in the Ochadamu flash point had reduced drastically, but picked up recently after the army checkpoint in the area was dismantled following a fatal accident on the highway.

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The security operatives, including the vigilantes in the areas, were said to be making frantic efforts to rescue the kidnapped victims since the incident happened.

However, the state security adviser to Governor Yahaya Bello, Navy Commander Jerry Omodara (rtd), confirmed the incident on Thursday, saying the state government was on top of it.

He stated that the state government had put enough measures in place to stem the tide of criminal activities in the area.

He said since the hoodlums were coming back to operate on the road again, the government would rejig its measures, adding that the hoodlums would be neutralised shortly.

“We have fought them; we will fight them, and we will continue to fight them until they are neutralised in that axis of the state. Security agents have been alerted and they will do the needful,” he said.

At the time of filing this report, it was not clear whether the bus was fully occupied or not.

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