Gunmen ambushed two buses traveling the Itobe-Ajegwu-Anyigba road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Saturday. One vehicle bore the registration number Ebonyi NKE 737 XA.
Passengers and a motorcycle rider were forced into the forest at gunpoint. Armed bandits numbering about 10 carried AK-47 and pump-action rifles during the attack.
Local security teams, including hunters and vigilantes, immediately pursued the gunmen. They weren't able to locate the kidnappers or free the captives.
Police arrested one Monday Agi just three hours after the incident occurred. He allegedly got lost while fleeing from intensified security operations in the area.
During interrogation, Agi claimed he was a passenger traveling from Ekiti State. He said he'd alighted from a trailer near the attack scene to continue on foot.
According to him, he heard gunshots and ran into the bush with two herders. He insisted he didn't know the men he fled with.
Agi remains in police custody as the manhunt continues for the actual kidnappers. Investigators are treating his case as potentially linked to the abductions.
Three victims managed to escape after their captors fell asleep in the forest. Micheal Adejo, Monday, and Mariam Yakubu made their getaway by crawling away from the sleeping gunmen.
One escapee recounted the terrifying moments when the bandits stopped their bus. "They made us get out with rifles pointed at us," he told reporters.
Gunfire erupted when the second bus tried to flee the barricade. That driver crashed into cashew trees while trying to escape the volley of bullets.
All passengers from both vehicles were marched into the bush at gunpoint. The captors ordered them to lie face-down on the ground.
Robbers then systematically searched the victims and stole money, phones, and valuables. They stripped everyone of their possessions before moving them deeper into the forest.
Adaji, another survivor, described waiting for the right moment to escape. He noticed the bandits closest to his position had dozed off during the night.
"I started crawling slowly when I saw them sleeping," Adaji explained to journalists. "Once I'd covered enough distance, I stood up and ran toward a nearby village."
Two other victims ran alongside him and they all reached safety. Local residents provided them shelter and assistance.
Kogi State Police Command's spokesperson ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat didn't respond to calls or text messages. No official statement had been released from the command at report time.
