Kidnappers open fire, abduct passengers on Lokoja-Abuja highway

Daredevil kidnappers on Sunday, January 2, 2020, at about 7.30 pm, opened fire on a passenger bus, a Toyota Previa that carries eight passengers at Kwali, en route Lokoja to Abuja.

The action of the kidnappers who suddenly jumped into the highway and started shooting forced the driver of the Toyota bus to stop resulting in the kidnappers abducting the passengers into the bush.

Luck, however, ran out for the kidnappers when eyewitnesses and communities along the expressway made distress calls to the FCT Police Command.

Consequently, operatives from FCT Command comprising anti-kidnapping Patrol teams and counter-terror units were dispatched to the scene and they subsequently engaged the kidnappers in a shootout, rescuing some of the passengers in the process.

Four members of the kidnap gang were arrested by the Police while others ran into the bush with some of the passengers.

Confirming the kidnap attack and rescue of some of the passengers, the FCT Police spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manzah said, “Operatives of the FCT Police Command, while responding to the distress call on Sunday, in Piri Kwali expressway, arrested four (4) suspected kidnappers.

He noted that the kidnap gang whose other members are now at large fired several shots at a Toyota Previa bus and kidnapped some of its passengers after the bus was forced to stop.

“While, some of the passengers were rescued by the joint effort of the police and some youths of the nearby community, others are still with the kidnappers.

“The four suspects arrested by the police operatives are: Shuaibu Sule 27 years, Mohammadu Usman 25 years, Umar Usman 19 years and Usman Ibrahim 20 years all of Kamadi village kwali.

He listed exhibits recovered from the suspects to include one Dane gun, two cutlasses, one iron bar and one AK 47 ammunition shell.

“Meanwhile, the Command is making concerted effort to rescue the victims and arrest the suspects,” DSP Manzah said.