1 Killed, 13 Abducted as Kidnappers Rampage Nasarawa

Adamu Usman, a commercial bus driver has been killed and 13 others abducted as kidnappers waylaid a commercial bus along Shafa-Abakpa-Umaisha road in Nasarawa’s Toto Local Government Area.

Adamu died on Tuesday night while being treated at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital after being shot three times in the belly.

The event occurred approximately 5 p.m., according to Ibrahim Saidu, a driver who narrowly survived the attack.

He claimed that the kidnappers appeared from the jungle in huge numbers and ambushed four vehicles coming from Ugya village.

When the cars were attacked, he added, they were transporting passengers from Ugya to Abaji and Toto town.

After the driver lost control and whisked 13 people, including a middle-aged woman, into the jungle, the kidnappers surrounded the vehicles, according to Saidu.

“In fact, I was driving behind the four vehicles in front of me, but it was God that saved when I stopped at one of the village to pick a passenger. As I was coming, I heard gunshot and immediately made a U-turn,” he said.

While commenting on the incident, the Ohimegye of Opanda-Umaisha, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Usman Abdullahi, said bandits hiding in forest along the axis have been terrorizing travellers.

“There are some remnants of bandits that are terrorizing our people along this axis, which I am appealing to the state government to collaborate with federal government to see how these bandits are flushed out completely,” he said.

Two weeks ago, nine travelers who were returning from Ugya market along the axis, were abducted.

A total of N9 million was said to have paid before they regained freedom.

When contacted, the spokesman of the Nasarawa state police command, ASP Ramhan Nansel, said he had not been briefed about the latest kidnap incident.