The attackers targeted two vehicles– a luxury bus en route Onitsha from Sokoto,
and a Volkswagen Golf traveling from Gusau to Zaria.
According to a security source, due to the
gunfire, both vehicles veered off the road.
“Responding promptly to the distress call,
a police patrol team, identified as Operation EYE, deployed an Armoured
Personnel Carrier (APC) to the scene.
“The officers arrived just in time to thwart
the bandits’ attempt to abduct passengers. Faced with the swift and decisive
action of the security team, the assailants retreated into the nearby bush,
evading capture.
“Subsequently, the police successfully
rescued 45 passengers from the luxury bus, predominantly of Igbo descent, and
five additional individuals from the Golf with registration No: DKA-12YF,” the
source said.
He added that all the abducted passengers
were rescued unharmed and were presently under the secured care of the
authorities.
However, the source disclosed that while
most passengers have been safely accounted for, the whereabouts of five
individuals suspected to be missing in the aftermath of the traumatic ordeal
remains unknown.
The source further noted that the
authorities have intensified search operations to locate the missing persons.
He also disclosed that the patrol team
retrieved the luxury bus from the bush with considerable difficulty and it has
been secured at the station as part of the ongoing investigation.
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