Gunmen on Saturday kidnapped five passengers travelling in a commercial bus along the Emuoha/Kalabari Road in Rivers State.
This development came after gunmen allegedly killed a bus driver and abducted eight of his passengers along the same road a few days ago.
The whereabouts of the eight kidnapped persons had remained unknown as their abductors were yet to contact anyone.
During the abduction on Saturday, the gunmen were said to have ambushed the vehicle at a bad spot around 8pm.
They shot into the air, forced the vehicle to stop, and immediately took the driver and his seven passengers into a nearby bush.
The kidnappers, however, reportedly released the driver later.
A post circulating on social media concerning the abduction read, “It has happened. Yesterday on the same Emohua- Kalabari Road around 7pm and 8pm, the miscreants struck again and took all five passengers and driver away.
“Reports have it that the driver was later released but the passengers are yet to regain their freedom.”
Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-koko, said the command was yet to get a clearer picture of the incident, but had been receiving calls.
“The CP has called stakeholders, including the local government chairmen and the anti-cultism. He has deployed anti-kidnapping and other tactical units to comb the area,” she said.
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