In a brazen attack on Saturday, armed assailants raided and pillaged a luxury bus at Oke Ado Junction, Ijebu-mushin, situated along the Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway.
Reports indicate that the passengers were en route to the southeast to partake in Easter festivities when the harrowing incident unfolded.
Following the robbery, the criminals, wielding cutlasses, proceeded to set the bus ablaze, compounding the travelers’ ordeal.
Confirming the unsettling occurrence, SP Omolola Odutola, spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, verified the incident, emphasizing that the armed men did not brandish firearms. Instead, they resorted to wielding machetes.
The targeted bus, a 59-seater luxury Mercedes Benz operated by Ifesinachi Transport Limited, fell victim to the assailants’ ruthless actions.
A video shared on social media by Chude Nnamdi captured firsthand accounts from affected passengers, detailing the traumatic ordeal they endured at the hands of the bandits.
One distraught passenger recounted, “Ifesinachi Motors, we were traveling in the night to return to the East for Easter celebration, and criminals attacked us in Ijebu Ode along Ore-Benin Expressway.”
The assailants stripped passengers of their belongings, leaving some half-naked, before confining them inside the bus and setting it ablaze. Despite the turmoil, no fatalities were reported, but many passengers sustained injuries.
The survivor concluded, “We thank God that we didn’t lose anyone, but we lost everything we were traveling with, and some sustained injuries. This is Ifesinachi Motors that we were traveling with on Friday night, and this attack happened around 2 am.”
The chilling incident underscores the prevailing security challenges faced by travelers along major routes, necessitating swift and decisive action from authorities to ensure the safety of citizens.
