The Benin–Sapele Expressway has long been one of southern Nigeria’s busiest travel corridors. But on Wednesday night, the highway became a scene of fear and frantic rescue efforts after suspected herdsmen ambushed two commercial buses near Obayantor 2 community in Edo State.
It was about 10:45 p.m. when gunmen emerged from the bush and opened fire on passing vehicles. One of the buses, a white vehicle with registration number 166 XB, was conveying four passengers from Kaduna to Sapele. Within seconds, the attackers forced the bus to a halt, triggering panic among the occupants.
Three passengers managed to flee into the darkness, but one, 53-year-old Abubakar Ahmed, was left behind in the chaos and believed to have been kidnapped.
Security operatives later described the terrain as “a hostile stretch,” heavily vegetated and frequently exploited by criminal elements targeting motorists.
A combined team of Army, police operatives and vigilantes arrived at the location shortly after receiving a distress call. The troops “acted swiftly to close escape routes and pressure the kidnappers.”
“Once we received the alert, our men moved to block the flanks while the police and vigilantes pushed forward. The bush is very dense, but we maintained pressure. That pressure helped in forcing the kidnappers to abandon their victim.”said one security sources who participated in the operation.
The troops recovered two expended cartridges at the scene, confirming the attackers had fired shots. The driver of the bus, Ikechukwu Nwanonaku, and two passengers, Hassan Jafaru and Sani Saidi, were found shaken but unhurt.
It was the joint ground search that led to the breakthrough. After combing the surrounding bushes for several minutes, security teams sighted movement and advanced. Abubakar was eventually rescued after a hot chase that forced the kidnappers deeper into the forest.”
He was reunited with the other passengers and taken to the station. None of them sustained injuries.
However, the incident exposed another troubling discovery. A second bus, with registration number GB 211 LG and bearing “Ovia South LGA” inscription, was found parked off the road. Its doors were locked except the driver’s side, and there was no trace of passengers or the driver.
Items recovered from the driver’s seat included a power bank, a Samsung Android phone and ₦9,500 cash in the vehicle’s pigeonhole. Security personnel are still working to determine what happened to the occupants.
Troops say the area remains a challenging security zone but insist they will sustain pressure on criminal groups exploiting the route.
