Eight persons rescued by Police out of 12 Passengers Kidnapped by gunmen
Eight persons rescued by Police out of 12 Passengers Kidnapped by gunmen
The Kogi State Police Command has verified that a commuter bus owned by Big Joe Ventures Ltd was attacked on Friday, resulting in the abduction of all twelve passengers onboard.
According to Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, security forces, working alongside the military, successfully rescued eight of the abducted individuals. Efforts are ongoing to locate and free the remaining four who are still in captivity.
In an official statement released late Friday evening, the command acknowledged the abduction while confirming that approximately eight victims have been recovered.
The police and army are actively searching for the other four missing passengers.
The statement reads, “Kidnappers attacked a Big Joe Ventures Ltd Toyota Hiace commuter bus (Edo FUG 13 XY) along Okene–Auchi road. During the incident, the kidnappers abducted all 12 passengers commuting from Abuja to Benin in Edo State.”
SP Aya explained that the Divisional Police Officer of Okene, CSP Nasir Muhammad, promptly deployed police officers in cooperation with military personnel and local vigilantes to pursue the kidnappers.
He added, “In the process, eight victims, including the driver, were rescued, while efforts are still underway to rescue the remaining four victims and possibly arrest the perpetrators.”
Additionally, on September 12, 2025, troops from the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army, supported by Hybrid Forces and local vigilantes, successfully rescued 17 kidnapped victims, comprising 13 adults and four children.
This was confirmed in a statement by Lieutenant Hassan Abdullahi, the acting assistant director of Army Public Relations.
