Two people, including the driver of a commercial bus and a woman, were reportedly killed on Saturday evening by kidnappers who waylaid their vehicle along Obbo-Aiyegunle/Osi road in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The kidnappers also reportedly abducted an unspecified number of passengers in the bus and took them to the bush.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the incident in a statement said, “Information received on June 4, 2022, was to the effect that at about 5pm same day, Saturday, unknown armed men forcefully attacked an 18-seater commercial bus with registration number XC 167 MUN, along Obbo-Aiyegunle/Osi Road, shot into the vehicle and fatally injured the driver one Akeem ‘m’ surname unknown and one Mama Ariye ‘f’ both of Obbo-Aiyegunle town and abducted yet to be specified numbers of passengers.”
Okasanmi said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Tuesday Assayomo, has ordered a manhunt for the kidnappers.
He confirmed that the bodies of the dead passengers were retrieved and deposited at a mortuary for autopsy.
One person was also confirmed dead after an attack by gunmen in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Sunday.
The PUNCH learnt that the 24-year old victim identified as Stephen Gyang had gone to rescue his elder brother, Isaac Gyang, and two others who were attacked by gunmen at Chaya village in the council area while returning home on Saturday night after a church programme, when the gunmen who had laid ambush opened fire on him.
He died a few hours after the attack, while the other two victims, including a pastor who sustained injuries, had been evacuated to the hospital.
The National President of Berom Youths Moulders Association, Solomon Mwantiri, confirmed the development to The PUNCH in Jos on Sunday.
Mwantiri said, “At about 8.34pm of last night (Saturday), June 4, 2022, armed men suspected to be Fulani militias attacked Chaha village of Vwang District in Jos South LGA. As a result, one person named Stephen Gyang, aged 24 was confirmed dead while Isaac Gyang and Rev Davou John sustained varying degrees of injury, and are currently receiving medical attention in a hospital.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Ubah Ogaba, could not be reached when contacted on the incident by our correspondent as his mobile phones were switched off.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
