At least 30 travellers were abducted Sunday evening by gunmen who ambushed commuters along the Tegina-Zungeru highway in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
Officials of the drivers union in the area said the victims were travelling in a bus of the Niger State Transport Authority (NSTA) when they ran into an ambush by the bandits.
The gunmen also killed three members of the local vigilante group which attempted to foil their operation.
Bello Muhammed, a senior official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Tegina, told newsmen that the vigilante members were shot dead by the assailants while the group was attempting to foil the abduction.
Mr Muhammed said the victims were returning as a party from a wedding in Rijau Local Government Area.
He said the driver of the bus, Isa Dangana, was among those abducted.
The residents said abductions were unusual on that stretch of the highway, though some communities adjoining it had suffered attacks and abductions before. They said commuters ply the highway because they consider it relatively safe.
Below are the unedited names of the abducted persons as provided by the NURTW officials in the area.
Niger Govt. confirms the abduction of travellers
The Niger State Government has confirmed the kidnapping of innocent citizens by bandits along Zungeru-Tegina Road on Sunday February 14, 2021, describing it as “shocking and disturbing”.
In a statement, Commissioner of Information and Strategy Niger State, Muhammad Sani, Idris confirmed that the abducted persons were on board a Niger State Transport Authority (NSTA) vehicle, from Kontagora to Minna around 3 PM and were attacked by gunmen suspected to be bandits.
According to the commissioner, the re-surfacing of gunmen on the state’s highways “is disturbing and the government shall decisively rescue and ensure such negative development does not continue in the state”, as the state government is committed in its primary responsibility of protecting the life and property its citizens.
The statement further calls for calm among the citizens, particularly relatives of the abducted persons, appealing to all and sundry to provide useful information to security agencies for necessary action against such developments.