Suspected bandits have reportedly hijacked a commercial vehicle along the Ogobia-Adoka road in Otukpo Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State, killing the driver and abducting about five passengers on board.
The incident has thrown communities in the area into panic, with residents describing the route as “increasingly unsafe.”
A local source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attackers ambushed the vehicle which was loaded with goods and forced it off the road into the bush before opening fire on the driver.
“They shot the driver, who we knew as Arrow of God from Aila in Agatu LGA. After killing him, they marched the passengers, about five of them into the forest. Nobody knows where they were taken,” he said.
According to him, the commercial vehicle was fully loaded when the ambush happened. He added that villagers were still in shock as the attackers operated “without any resistance.”
The latest assault came less than three weeks after armed men attacked and killed two security operatives at a checkpoint along the same route. The officers were on stop-and-search operation when they came under attack.
“This road has become a danger zone. If security is not strengthened, more people may fall victim to the criminals,” he said.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, Mr. Maxwell Ogiri, were unsuccessful.
The Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Udeme Edet could also not be reached at press time.
