Suspected kidnappers have kidnapped a driver and 18 passengers at Azumini, a city in Abia state, South-east Nigeria.
The incident occurred final Wednesday, Vanguard newspaper reported.
Azumini, a boundary city between Abia and Akwa Ibom State, is situated some 15 miles south of the industrial metropolis of Aba.
In recent times, due to the excessive safety danger related to the Ogoni part of the East-West Street, many industrial automobiles plying Uyo – Port Harcourt had deserted it rather than the Azumini route.
The police spokesperson within the state, Timfon John, who confirmed the kidnapping to the newspaper stated the police have been “monitoring” the state of affairs.
Vanguard reported that the incident concerned an Akwa Ibom Transport Firm (AKTC) bus.
In line with the newspaper, the passengers have been touring contained in the AKTC bus from Uyo to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, en path to Abia State, when their bus was intercepted at Azumini.
Vanguard newspaper quoted a witness as saying that the abductors fired pictures into the air, forcing the driving force to carry the bus to a halt earlier than different gang members got here out from the bush and kidnapped the passengers.
“The driving force was first to return down. Different passengers have been ordered to observe instantly. The abductors moved all of them into the bush,” the newspaper quoted the witness.
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The incident occurred nearly a 12 months after gunmen kidnapped eight corps members, who have been touring inside an AKTC bus from Uyo to Sokoto State en route Zamfara State, to participate within the obligatory Nationwide Youth Service Corps when their car was intercepted alongside a freeway in Zamfara.
PREMIUM TIMES in March reported that two of the eight corps members have been nonetheless in captivity 9 months after they have been kidnapped.
Their steady keep in captivity had triggered outrage from Nigerians and civil society teams who known as on the federal authorities to take motion to safe their launch.
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