Gunmen abduct 14 passengers in Benue

Our correspondent learnt that the vehicle was intercepted by the gunmen around Omutele and Ankpechi along the Otukpo–Adoka road on Thursday night.

A local resident told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Friday that the passengers were taken into the forest.

The resident, who simply identified himself as Ochai, said, “Some gunmen ambushed an 18-seater bus heading to Abuja between Omutele and Ankpechi along the Otukpo–Adoka road yesterday (Thursday) night.

“All the passengers in the vehicle were whisked away by the gunmen.”

Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Aondongu, who confirmed the incident, said 14 passengers were on board the vehicle.

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Aondongu stated that operatives of the command had rescued five of the kidnap victims.

The PPRO stated this in a statement issued on Friday and made available to newsmen in Makurdi.

The statement read in part: “The Benue State Police Command has confirmed a kidnapping incident involving a commercial passenger bus travelling from Enugu State to Abuja along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area on the night of 13 August 2026.

“Following the incident, operatives of the Command commenced a coordinated rescue operation early this (Friday) morning. The operation, which involved an exchange of gunfire, has so far resulted in the successful rescue of five victims, including a four-year-old boy, while nine others remain in the custody of the suspected kidnappers.”

The command spokesperson said one of the five rescued victims sustained a gunshot injury during the rescue operation and was immediately rushed to a medical facility in Otukpo, where he is currently receiving medical attention.

He added that operatives of the command, in collaboration with sister security agencies, were intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining nine victims.

Aondongu said the ongoing operation was being conducted with utmost caution, with the lives and safety of the victims as the primary objective.

He stated that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Cletus Nwadiogbu, had assured the families and the general public of the safe rescue of the remaining kidnap victims.

The CP urged the public and residents of the affected communities to remain calm and vigilant, and to promptly provide the police with credible information that could assist the ongoing operation and help prevent similar incidents in the future.