From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
No fewer than 26 passengers have been kidnapped by some suspected kidnappers as Kogi State Police rescued two passengers at Itobe – Anyigba road in Ajegwu junction of Kogi State.
It was reliably gathered that the incident happened on Wednesday around 3pm on the highway, as hoodlums said to be more than 10 in number struck and carried away passengers in two different buses to an unknown destinations in the area.
An eye witness reported that their operation was cut short as a vehicle hit and killed one of the kidnappers during the operation, forcing them to retreat immediately to attend to their member that was knocked down.
It was reported that before the said gunmen left the scene , two vehicles were flagged down and its occupants were escorted into the bush.
An eyewitness said until soldiers appeared on the scene and cleared the road , no vehicle was able to move for hours on Wednesday .
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Police Command confirmed the incident on Thursday, but said security agents and local hunters in a combined operation retrieved back two out of the abducted passengers from the hands of their abductors.
According to the state command’s Police Public Relation Officer(PPRO), William Aya said five people were reported to have been kidnapped in a car, not buses as alleged along that route on Wednesday.
He called on members of the public to report any person seen with gun injury to the nearest police station, saying, many of the Kidnappers left with various wound due to the exchange of gun fire with rescue team.
