In a bold and high-stakes operation, the Benue State Police Command has deployed drone technology and a tactical ground force in a relentless search-and-rescue mission to locate 12 individuals abducted by gunmen in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.
The victims — comprising 11 passengers and a driver — were reportedly travelling in a commercial vehicle operated by the state-owned Benue Links Transport Company when they were ambushed around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. The brazen attack occurred along the increasingly notorious Otukpo-Otukpa-Enugu highway near Eke, a town that has become synonymous with a spate of violent kidnappings in recent months.
Sources revealed that the heavily armed assailants intercepted the vehicle, forcibly herded the victims into the dense surrounding bush, and looted their valuables before vanishing into the wilderness.
In a swift response, the police, supported by military units and the Benue State Community Volunteer Guard, descended on the crime scene. According to the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Sewuese Anene Edet, one of the abducted passengers, identified as Paul Terna, managed to escape and was promptly rescued by operatives combing the bush.
“Upon receiving the distress call, tactical police teams and supporting forces arrived at the scene. With the aid of drone surveillance and boots on the ground, they are currently scouring the area to track down the kidnappers and safely rescue the remaining victims,” SP Edet confirmed in a statement.
He further noted, “Reinforcements have been deployed, and the Commissioner of Police has personally moved to the area to oversee the operation. Drone surveillance continues to provide vital intelligence on the movement and location of the suspects.”
The targeted route, which links Benue to Enugu State, has become a veritable danger zone, with at least three documented abduction cases reported within the Ogbadibo/Okpokwu axis over the past month alone. The frequency and audacity of these attacks have sparked growing fears among commuters and residents in the region.
Meanwhile, the management of Benue Links has confirmed the harrowing incident. In a press statement released on Monday in Makurdi, the company’s Information Officer, Johnson Daniel, revealed that the attacked vehicle had departed Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Sunday, en route to Makurdi, before it was ambushed near Eke.
Daniel affirmed that the vehicle was carrying 12 passengers and a driver. “We received the shocking report after one of the passengers managed to escape from captivity and alerted the authorities in Eke,” he said.
As the search intensifies, the state and indeed the nation watches closely, hoping for the safe return of the abducted passengers. The incident once again throws into sharp relief the escalating insecurity plaguing Nigeria’s highways and the urgent need for comprehensive and sustained security reforms.
Stay tuned for further updates as the operation unfolds.
PIONEER NEWS 