BREAKING: 45 passengers kidnaped along Otukpo-Enugu road in Orokam

No fewer than 45 passengers on board three fully-loaded 15-seater commercial buses were reportedly abducted by armed men in Orokam, along the Otukpo-Enugu Road in Ogbadigbo Local Government Area of Benue State.

Eyewitnesses and a driver from one of the commercial transportation companies in Makurdi, who narrowly escaped the ambush with passengers, revealed that the harrowing incident unfolded around 3:30 pm on Thursday.

The heavily armed men allegedly ambushed the commercial vehicles, emerging from the nearby forests in Orokam, and forcefully compelled the drivers to pull over at gunpoint.

Describing the ordeal, the driver stated, “It was easy for the armed men to stop the vehicles because that portion of the road is very bad.” He recounted that a heavily built young man armed with an automatic rifle and a chain of bullets was among the assailants. The attack occurred in broad daylight, with three armed men targeting commercial buses, possibly aiming for a higher ransom due to the number of passengers.

The driver managed to evade capture, and his passengers also escaped after running into the bush, leaving behind valuables that the armed men ignored. Soldiers later arrived on motorbikes and a hilux van, inquiring about the whereabouts of the armed men and the kidnapped victims.

Reports suggest that negotiations have commenced between the armed men and family members of the abducted passengers for ransom payments. A manager from a commercial transportation company at Wurukum Park disclosed that the kidnappers initially demanded N15 million for each passenger but eventually settled for N3 million per individual.

However, complications arose during the negotiation process, with communication being abruptly cut off. The families have been desperately searching for information about the buses and the kidnappers, moving from one park to another in an attempt to trace the involved companies.