MAKURDI — No fewer than 14 passengers travelling from Enugu State to Abuja were abducted by suspected bandits along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State on Thursday night .
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the passengers were travelling in a commercial bus when the suspected bandits ambushed the vehicle and whisked them into the bush, leaving the empty bus on the road . The Benue State Police Command, through its spokesperson, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu, confirmed the incident and said operatives had rescued five of the victims, including a four-year-old boy .
CDA News Nigeria reports that the police launched a coordinated rescue operation in the early hours of Friday following the abduction, which involved an exchange of gunfire between security operatives and the suspected kidnappers . One of the rescued victims sustained a gunshot injury during the operation and was immediately taken to a medical facility in Otukpo, where he is receiving treatment .
Aondongu said operatives of the Command, working with sister security agencies, were intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining nine victims safely . The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Cletus Nwadiogbu, acknowledged the concerns of the victims’ families and assured them that concerted efforts were underway to secure the safe release of those still in captivity .
The Command urged residents of the affected communities and surrounding areas to remain calm and vigilant and to provide the police with credible information that could assist the ongoing rescue operation .
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