Six travellers abducted on Benue road

Egbetokun

At least six people were abducted in the early hours of Tuesday by suspected bandits along the Naka–Makurdi road in Benue State. The incident reportedly occurred at the Kula Village, a community close to the state capital, Makurdi.

A relative of one of the victims, who spoke to our correspondent anonymously, said the travellers departed Ilorin on Monday but spent the night in Ankpa, Kogi State, due to the insecurity along the route.

“They were seven in the vehicle and left Ankpa early Tuesday morning. About 20 minutes from Makurdi, their vehicle was intercepted at the Kula Village. One of the passengers escaped, but the six others —three males and three females—were whisked away by the kidnappers,” the source said.

The source added that the bandits had demanded a ransom of N100m for the release of the victims.

Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Gwer West Local Government, Omnin Torsar, told PUNCH Metro that the abduction occurred around 5:00 a.m., while the travellers were in a convoy.

“They ran into bandits near Kula, and some were abducted. The incident happened close to Makurdi along the Naka–Makurdi road,” Torsar said, adding that he did not yet have the exact number of victims.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she had not received an official report.

Kidnapping has become rampant across Benue State amid rising insecurity. Last week, nine worshippers were abducted at St John’s Catholic Church, Ojije in Utonkon Ado LGA, and 14 travellers were taken in Okpokwu LGA.

The Naka–Makurdi road, long avoided by motorists due to frequent abductions, had seen a return of relative normalcy following the deployment of security agents last year, until Tuesday’s incident. Punch