The Cross River State Police Command says its operatives have secured the release of eight of the nine travellers abducted on Ogoja-Ikom highway on Tuesday.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Irene Ugbo, made this known in Calabar, the Cross River State capital on Wednesday.

Ugbo said before the eight victims were rescued, the ninth traveller had managed to escape from the abductors.

She also dismissed the insinuation that the attack was carried out by herdsmen.

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“Eight of the victims are now in safe hands while the ninth person escaped.

“Reports that the kidnap was carried out by herdsmen are untrue; it was purely an armed robbery incident,” she stated.

The Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Sule Balarabe, who had earlier confirmed the abduction of the travellers, said he could not give the specific number of victims abducted by the gunmen.

Balarabe, however, said officers of the police anti-kidnap squad were deployed to the area.

The Star