The Benue State Police Command on Monday said it has deployed drones to track down the location of the 11 passengers and driver abducted around Eke in Okpokwu Local Government Area of the state.
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers had around 6.30 pm on Sunday abducted 11 passengers and a driver of a vehicle belonging to Benue State Transport Company, known as Benue Links.
The bus was intercepted at Eke in Okpokwu LG, along the Otukpo-Otukpa-Enugu highway.
A source had earlier told our correspondent that the gunmen, after intercepting the vehicle, robbed the passengers of their belongings and later whisked them away to the bush.
Confirming the abduction, the management of Benue Links said the ill-fated vehicle left Abeokuta in Ogun State en route to Makurdi on Sunday when it was intercepted by gunmen.
The management confirmed the incident in a statement made available to journalists in Makurdi on Monday.
The Information Officer of the company, Johnson Daniel, in the statement, said 12 passengers and the driver were on board when the vehicle was intercepted.
One passenger was reported to have escaped from the kidnappers who later reported at the police station in Eke.
The statement read: “We regret to inform the public of an unfortunate incident involving one of our buses, with Registration Number 14B – 143BN, which was attacked while en route Makurdi from Abeokuta.
“The attack occurred at about 6:30 pm on Sunday, 22nd June 2025, at Eke Elengbecho, in Okpokwu Local Government Area, Benue State.
“The vehicle, which departed Abeokuta with 12 passengers and the driver, was later discovered by the roadside at Eke with some of the passengers’ luggage; however, the driver and 11 passengers were missing.
“One passenger managed to escape and reach the Eke Police Station and reported that the bus was ambushed by armed kidnappers.”
The management condemned the attack on the passengers and assured that it was collaborating with security agencies towards securing the safe return of the abducted passengers and the driver.
Confirming the development, the state police command said the combined security operatives had been deployed in the bush to rescue the kidnap victims.