Thirteen passengers kidnapped in Benue State’s Okpokwu Local Government Area, LGA, have been rescued in a joint operation led by the police and local vigilantees.
The LGA chairman, Adah Inalegwu, confirmed the rescue of the abductees on Sunday.
The abductees were taken from a Hummer bus with registration number 14B-143BN along the Eke axis by gunmen who ambushed the vehicle, robbed the occupants, and whisked several passengers into the nearby bush.
Inalegwu said that the joint operations led by the police and members of vigilantes in that area mounted pressure, combing the forest, led to the rescue of two of the passengers on Saturday.
He said youths enlisted the service of youths from neighbouring Kogi State, leading to increased pressure, which made the kidnappers abandon the remaining eleven victims at Oando village at about 4.00 pm on Sunday.
According to him, the provision of logistics by Governor Hyacinth Alia, with improved security surveillance and tracking, led to the rescue of the victims.
The victims are being profiled before they are reunited with their families.
Meanwhile, Governor Hyacinth Alia has condemned the killing of two indigenes of Kano State in the Agan settlement of the state by criminals.
Governor Hyacinth Alia has condemned the brutal killing of two Kano State indigenes in the Agan settlement of Benue State.
He described the act as barbaric and unacceptable, directing the police to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
”To this end, already, five criminals have been swiftly apprehended in Makurdi by the police command in the state over this incident, following the Governor’s earlier directives to the Commissioner of Police and other relevant security operatives to ensure that criminals who committed the heinous crime are arrested,” the govenor’s chief press secretary Tersoo Kula said in a statement.
“The governor is deeply saddened by the deaths of two men identified as indigenes of Kano state who were travelling through the state but were brutally attacked and murdered by criminals.
“Five suspects have already been apprehended in connection with the incident.
”He said, “Benue people are known for their hospitality and peaceful disposition. We cannot allow some criminal elements to tarnish our image and create a contrary image for our people.
”These criminals MUST be fished out immediately and made to face the full wrath of the law, ” it added.
