From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
No fewer than 29 passengers were on Sunday evening kidnapped when the vehicle traveling from the eastern part of Nigeria to the north had their vehicle intercepted by gunmen along Anyigba-Itobe express way in Kogi state.
The incident which reportedly happened on the 9th of August 2026 by Sunday evening involving one Hummer bus and one Sienna bus both commercial inter-state vehicles.
Eye witness said, the first kidnapp incidence happened at about 4pm between Ojuwo-Ajengo and Mamerebo, while the second kidnap incidence took place at about 6pm same Sunday evening between Ojodu and Ojuwo-olijo village, all in Ofu local government of Kogi state.
The local securities who came to the scenes after the incidences to meet the two abandoned commercial vehicles said, “We met the vehicles empty, a Hummer bus and Sienna bus. The Hummer bus could contain 20 passangers and the Sienna bus will contain 9 passangers. So, by our estimate, the kidnappers may have moved not less than 29 passangers into the bush.”
He said, “These are travellers from the East, those inter-state vehicles are always in full load of passangers. By the inscription on the vehicle, the Hummer bus belonged to Peace Mass Transit while the Sharon bus has no inscription on the vehicle. We suspect it’s from the East, they normally take the Kogi route to Abuja or Lagos”
It was learnt that a joint security operation comprising of local vigilantes and men of the military have been activated and are already trailing the kidnappers.
Meanwhile, the Kogi state police command is yet to issue any official statement as the phone lines of police public relations officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat was not connecting for comments.
