No fewer than fourteen passengers travelling from Warri in Delta State to Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State have been allegedly kidnapped by gunmen at Rumoji, near Port-Harcourt in Rivers State.
It was gathered that the heavily armed gunmen waylaid the bus, which belongs to a popular transport company, and dragged all the occupants into a nearby bush from where they were whisked to an unknown destination.
Punch reports that the abductors, who had contacted the family of the victims are demanding one million naira on each of the passengers before they could be released.
A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The 14-seater bus was travelling to Port-Harcourt when heavily armed men waylaid the bus and kidnapped all occupants including the driver. They were travelling from one of their terminals in Warri axis.
“The incident happened on Monday and the bus is owned by one of these popular transport companies. It was a bit unbelievable until our sister security agency recovered the bus from where the incident happened around Ughelli/Port-Harcourt section of the road. The hoodlums have also contacted the families of the victim. Security has been beefed in the area.”
Another security source added, “Though the hoodlums are in contact with the bus company and have reduced the ransom for the release of the driver and the passengers to N100, 000, we and other sister security agencies are on the trail of the hoodlums and would do everything to ensure that the victims are released unhurt.”
When contacted, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Zanna Ibrahim, confirmed the incident but clarified that the incident occurred at Rumoji in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
Ibrahim added, “The incident actually happened in Rumoji in Port-Harcourt and not in Delta State. The passengers were traveling from Delta to Port-Harcourt but the incident happened in Rumoji.”
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