From News Editor
Unknown gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have ambushed an Ado-Ekiti bound 18-passenger vehicle on Sunday night at Emure Ile, kidnapping all the passengers on board.
The incident occurred at the outskirt of Emure-Owo, the boundary between Ekiti and Ondo State, as the bus was returning from Onitsha.
Speaking with reporters, a source at the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Ado-Ekiti Motor Terminal branch, said the bandits kidnapped the driver whose name was given as Sunday Emmanuel, alongside other passengers, demanding a ransom of N30 million each.
The source, who craved anonymity, revealed that the kidnappers abandoned some children on the bus, whose cries attracted the attention of passersby in the early hours of Monday, before it was reported to the nearest police station.
The source added that two passengers escaped during the night before police arrived at the scene to recover the bus.
His words, “They drove the bus into the bush and dragged people inside the bush.
“The called the family of the driver and I pleaded to speak with the driver and after our conversation, they demanded a ransom of N30 million. They said they would call back, but they have not done so yet.
“They left some children on the bus, and it seems that some people at the the farm saw the kids and alerted the police in Emure-Owo
“The driver’s union in Ado-Ekiti is currently holding a meeting on how to reach out to the kidnappers.
The source added that two of the kidnapped victims escaped while they were being herded into the bush.”
The Ekiti State Police Command is yet to react to the incident as at the time of filing this report as the police PPRO could not be reached on his phone line.
