AKURE, Nigeria (The Informant247) – Gunmen abducted several travellers on the Benin-Owo Expressway in Ondo state, southwestern part of Nigeria, a local said on Sunday.
While some sources said the victims were over 40; others gave their number as 32.
This is the latest sign of widespread insecurity making road travel unsafe.
Bandits have been abducting individuals for ransom from villages and on roads, primarily in the country’s northwest, and the practice has expanded to other regions, heightening insecurity in Africa’s most populous country.
Local sources said the victims were travelling in a coastal bus from Benin to Ondo State for a burial ceremony.
“They were ambushed in Ifon area, the hoodlums attacked them and whisked all the occupants of the vehicle into the bush,” he said.
The State Police spokesperson, Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the attack to local media but added that she could not ascertain the number of the victims.
She said security agencies in the state had launched a manhunt to arrest the bandits and secure the release of the victims in the forest.