Nineteen travellers were abducted in Benue State on Thursday after bandits hijacked two commercial vehicles in Gwer West Local Government Area.
The incident was confirmed by Ter Nagi, Chief Daniel Abomtse, who spoke to journalists via phone.
According to the traditional ruler, the two vehicles involved in the attack—a Picnic bus and a Sharon bus—were carrying approximately 12 passengers each when they were intercepted.
Abomtse said that during the attack, a few individuals were spared, including an elderly woman, a breastfeeding mother with her two children, and one of the drivers.
He added that, “as of Thursday evening, the police had released the spared passengers.”
The Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), High Level Unit, Yakubu Onu, also confirmed the abduction, stating that one of the vehicles, en route to Lokoja, carried nine passengers, six of whom were taken by the assailants.
He further revealed that the second vehicle, which was travelling from Ankpa in Kogi State to Makurdi, had eight passengers kidnapped at the same location near Naka, the Gwer West LGA headquarters.
“The driver and the three spared passengers reported to Naka police station and were told to continue their journey,” Onu said.
“They complained that they have not heard from those abducted, nor received further information about the passengers from Ankpa.”
Authorities have yet to issue a formal statement on the incident, and the fate of the kidnapped passengers remains unknown.