Several female passengers were abducted by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen after they hijacked a Benue Links commercial vehicle along the Owukpa–Orokam road in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident occurred on the evening of Saturday, May 31, around 7 p.m., near the Eyiupi community. The victims were returning from the Orba market in Enugu State and were en route to Owukpa when the attack happened.
According to reports, the attackers ambushed the vehicle, forcibly removing all female passengers, which included both adults and children. The victims were taken to an unknown destination by the assailants.
One of the victims, a woman who sustained severe gunshot injuries during the attack, was abandoned by the abductors. It is believed she was left behind due to the heavy bleeding she was experiencing, which could have risked revealing the abductors’ location.
She is currently receiving medical attention and remains in critical condition at the Intensive Care Unit of St. Mary’s Hospital in Okpoga.
Amos Agada, the leader of the Owukpa vigilante group, confirmed the incident. Speaking on Sunday morning, June 1, he stated that no contact had yet been made by the kidnappers with any of the victims’ families. He also disclosed that local security forces had already begun efforts to locate and rescue the abducted women.
In a related development, a prominent community leader, Hon. Adikwu Daniel, raised an alarm in a public statement. He called on the Chairman of the Ogbadibo Local Government Council as well as the relevant security agencies to act swiftly and decisively to secure the release of the abducted individuals.
He further appealed for the establishment of a sustainable security framework to monitor and protect the volatile route where the attack occurred.
Hon. Daniel emphasized the urgency of the situation, warning, “The area has long been a danger zone, and no serious security network is in place to stop or reduce these attacks.”