A distraught mother has appealed to the Federal Government and security authorities to urgently rescue her child and 18 other passengers reportedly abducted along the Imo-Abia route while travelling to an NYSC orientation camp.
The passengers were reportedly travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to Akwa Ibom State on Thursday when the vehicle was allegedly intercepted by suspected kidnappers.
The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, made the appeal in a viral video, saying her child, Kehinde, was among those abducted.
According to her, Kehinde and a twin sibling had left home for the National Youth Service Corps orientation programme. While one of the twins, who was posted to Enugu State, had reached camp safely, Kehinde was travelling to Akwa Ibom when the alleged abduction occurred.
The mother said the family became aware of the incident after Kehinde reportedly sent a message to their WhatsApp group indicating that kidnappers had attacked the vehicle. Other passengers were also said to have shared videos during the incident.
“We learnt my child, Kehinde, and the whole passengers and driver have been abducted. I’ve not been able to speak to my child,” she said, appealing to President Bola Tinubu and Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu to intervene.
A video circulating online also showed a bus identified as belonging to Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, with registration number KTE-360ZY, reportedly linked to the journey.
The passengers were said to number 19, including the driver.
When contacted, the Oyo State Police Command advised The Peoples Gazette to seek information from the Imo State Command, where the reported incident occurred.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Imo State Police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, were unsuccessful, as calls to his mobile phone did not connect.
The Akwa Ibom State Police spokesperson, Timfon John, also did not respond to calls as of the time the report was filed.
The circumstances surrounding the reported abduction, including the exact location and the whereabouts of the passengers, remained unclear at the time of filing the report.
