At least 18 passengers travelling on the Benin-Auchi highway in Edo State were abducted by gunmen on Friday.
The victims were said to be heading to Abuja in a newly launched Edo Line bus when armed men stopped the vehicle and forced them into the bush. Police operatives later arrived at the scene after the attack.
A video from the incident, which has gone viral on social media, showed vehicles lined up on both sides of the highway as panic spread among commuters.
Confirming the incident on Saturday, Edo State police spokesperson, Moses Iyamu, said 16 of the kidnapped passengers had been rescued.
“Sixteen of these passengers have been rescued safely while the rescue operation by Edo State Police in synergy with vigilantes and hunters continues,” Iyamu said.
He added that the police have intensified a search-and-rescue mission to free the two passengers still being held by the kidnappers.
