Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure an Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti
Ten passengers, including the driver of an 18-seater bus were, yesterday, allegedly kidnapped on Akure/Ado-Ekiti Road by gunmen.
Daily Sun gathered that the abduction occurred within Iju/Itaogbolu axis of the road.
The passengers were said to be travelling from Akure to Ado-Ekiti when the gunmen ambushed them and took them to an unknown destination.
The incident occurred barely three days after the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Owena Barracks, Akure launched an anti-kidnapping squad and procured a drone to fight kidnapping in Ondo and Ekiti states.
Also, governors of the six states of the South West geo-political zone had, on Tuesday, converged on Ibadan, Oyo State to proffer lasting solution to the scourge of kidnapping in the region.
However, the latest kidnapping incident was reportedly aided by the deplorable condition of the Ado-Ekiti/Akure Road, as the kidnappers reportedly stopped the vehicle, at gun point, on one of the bad portions of the road.
A source disclosed that the victims were yet to link up with their relatives and no amount has been placed on them as ransom.
The leadership of National Union of Road Transport Workers, Ekiti State chapter confirmed the incident, saying the vehicle involved belonged to a driver popularly known as Ikere.
When contacted, Ekiti State Police Command Spokesman, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, could not be reached for comments as his phone was switched off.
But, Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Femi Joseph, informed that only one person was kidnapped, claiming that the police are already on the trail of the kidnappers.
He assured the people that the police would arrest the kidnappers and save the lives of the victims as police officers have already been deployed to the spot where the travellers were kidnapped.