Terror struck on the Makurdi–Naka–Adoka road in Benue State on Thursday morning as armed men suspected to be terrorists ambushed two commercial vehicles, abducting at least 14 passengers.
The incident, which occurred between 10 and 11 am just outside Naka town, has left residents and travelers in fear, once again highlighting the growing insecurity in the region.
According to reports, the gunmen attacked a Picnic bus and a Sharon bus, each carrying 12 passengers. Confirming the development, Yakubu Onu, Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), High-Level Unit in Makurdi, said the two vehicles belonged to union members operating from the High-Level Park.
“The first vehicle was en route to Lokoja with nine passengers when it was ambushed. Six were taken into the bush,” Onu disclosed in a telephone interview.
The second vehicle, traveling from Ankpa in Kogi State to Makurdi, suffered a similar fate, with eight passengers reportedly abducted at the same location.
Onu further explained that three passengers from the first vehicle were spared, along with the driver, who later reported the incident to the police in Naka. “After reporting to the police, the driver was asked to continue his journey, but we’ve not heard from him since,” he added.
The traditional ruler of Naka, His Royal Highness Daniel Abomtse, also confirmed the incident, stating that several individuals — including an elderly woman, a breastfeeding mother, a few children, and one of the drivers — were spared by the attackers.
“The incident happened at Okpa, near Adoka, a dangerous stretch bordering Gwer West Local Government Area. There’s an ungoverned space around that region which has become a haven for criminal elements,” the monarch lamented.
This latest attack comes just weeks after a similar tragedy near the Otukpo Burnt Bricks area in Otukpo LGA, where gunmen killed two people and abducted 13 others.
Meanwhile, efforts are reportedly ongoing by security agencies and community vigilante groups to track down the assailants and rescue the abducted victims. The authorities have also urged travelers to exercise heightened caution when journeying through the affected routes.
