Gunmen abduct 15 passengers, kill one in Benue bus attack

Suspected gunmen dressed in military uniforms have abducted 15 passengers and killed one person during an attack on a commercial bus in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.

Sources said the incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday at Ado-Okpoga along the Oju–Ado-Ekiti road. The vehicle, a commercial Hummer bus driven by 35-year-old Gbenga Peter, was travelling from Oju in Benue State to Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State with 23 passengers on board when it was ambushed.

According to the sources, about nine armed men intercepted the bus and forcefully took 15 passengers into the surrounding bush.

During the attack, a 22-year-old passenger, identified as Idiku Meshak Ogbete, was shot and killed. The driver and eight other passengers reportedly escaped and later alerted the Okpokwu Police Station.

The Divisional Police Officer subsequently mobilised patrol teams alongside other security units, including Operation Whirl Stroke, the Benue State Civil Protection Guards and other agencies, to respond to the incident.

The victim’s body has been deposited at a mortuary in Okpoga, while a coordinated search operation is ongoing to rescue the abducted passengers and apprehend the attackers.