Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have ambushed an Ado-Ekiti-bound 18-passenger bus at Emure Ile, kidnapping all the passengers on board.
The incident occurred on the outskirts of Emure-Owo on Sunday night, at the boundary between Ekiti and Ondo states, as the bus was returning from Onitsha.
A source at the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, Ado-Ekiti Motor Terminal branch, said the bandits kidnapped the driver, identified as Sunday Emmanuel, alongside other passengers, demanding a ransom of N30 million each.
The source, who craved anonymity, revealed that the kidnappers abandoned some children in the bus, whose cries attracted the attention of passersby in the early hours of yesterday, before it was reported to the nearest police station.
The source added that two passengers escaped before police arrived at the scene to recover the bus.
He said: “They drove the bus into the bush and dragged people inside the bush. The called the family of the driver and I pleaded to speak with the driver and after our conversation, they demanded a ransom of N30 million. They said they would call back, but they have not done so yet.
“They left some children on the bus, and it seems that some people at the the farm saw the kids and alerted the police in Emure-Owo
“The driver’s union in Ado-Ekiti is currently holding a meeting on how to reach out to the kidnappers.
The source added that two of the kidnapped victims escaped while they were being herded into the bush.”
The Ekiti State police command was yet to react to the incident at the time of this report as the police PPRO could not be reached on his phone.
Meanwhile, the family of the kidnapped bus driver has said they are yet to receive further calls from the abductors.
A family member, who craved anonymity, told Vanguard that the driver’s union in Ado-Ekiti had been contacted about the development.
The source said the kidnappers have not communicated with the family after their initial demand of N30m ransom.
The family source said: “When I called the union, they said they are also making calls on how to sort out the ransom. The union called me again today and I told them I have not heard again from the kidnappers and no one knows how to reach out to them.
“We learned that the union held a meeting today to discuss the ransom and how to negotiate with the kidnappers.”
