At least three people have been killed and nine others abducted following an evening attack on passengers in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The victims, mostly traders from Ajobe community in Ojoku district, were returning from the popular Nkwo Idoko market in Awo in a pick-up van along the deteriorated Ankpa-Adoka-Makurdi federal road when they ran into an ongoing operation by gunmen.
It was gathered that on sighting the gunmen, some of the passengers jumped from the vehicle in an attempt to flee, but ran out of luck.
“The assailants opened fire on the fleeing passengers, killing three on the spot while many others sustained gunshot injuries,” Yakubu Ishyaku explained.
He said nine people from the same Ajobe community, including his late elder brother’s wife, were abducted by the gunmen and taken to an unknown destination.
According to him, the three deceased victims – two males and a female – were buried according to Islamic rites on Friday.
He added that the kidnappers contacted a family member of one of the victims in the nearby Okaba community on Friday evening.
“They demanded N20 million for each of the victims in their custody before switching off the phone. Since then we have not been able to reach them through that line,” he explained.
Also commenting on the incident, a sister of one of the kidnapped victims, Mrs. Achenetu Akubo, appealed for the immediate release of all those affected.
She said her sister, Mariam, was kidnapped alongside her daughter during the incident and their abductors demanded N40 million as ransom for their release.
She said her sister has not been feeling well, stressing that her condition might deteriorate while in custody.
“My sister did not go to the market with her drugs and we fear that her condition will get worse if she is not released on time,” she noted.
