No fewer than 27 passengers travelling along Wukari to Takum Expressway were on Thursday kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be bandits in Taraba state.
The Chairman of Takum Local Government Area Shiban Tikari confirmed this to Channels television via a telephone interview.
According to Tikari, the travellers were returning from a wedding ceremony in Wukari local government when the bandits attacked them at Kofai Ahmadu in Takum and whisked them away to an unknown destination alongside the vehicle.
”They were 24 passengers that left for Wukari to celebrate one of them who was getting wedded yesterday,” he said.
”When returning they decided to squeeze in three of their friends who were stranded in Wukari then this thing happened along the road. The Vehicle, an 18 seater, bus was used to convey them to the unknown destination.”
He added that with the help of youths of Takum communities and some security agencies, they combed the bushes around, but found nothing.
Tikari noted that so far, no call has been made by their abductors on what their demands are or their whereabouts.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state David Misal also confirmed the incident stressing that they have launched an investigation into the matter.
He, however, disclosed that they are yet to establish if it is a case of kidnapping or not.
The Wukari to Takum Expressway has been in the news lately for abduction and ambush especially during the wake of the ethnic crisis between the Tivs and Jukun in April 2019.
This also led to the killing of a Catholic priest, Rev Father Tanko David the same year.
