Daud Olatunji
In a terrifying incident recently, an unspecified number of kidnappers, heavily armed and disguised as security personnel, ambushed a commercial bus along the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode road.
The assailants, positioned at Iyana Gedu near Onigaari Village, created a roadblock using large wooden beams, duping the unsuspecting passengers into thinking they were law enforcement officers.
The victims, comprise traders returning from the Oke Aje Market in Ijebu Ode, narrated their harrowing ordeal.
The abductors, wearing masks that only revealed their eyes, violently boarded the bus, demanding money and phones.
The passengers were subjected to physical abuse, including slaps, as the kidnappers seized their belongings.
As chaos unfolded, a vehicle following the bus attempted to reverse but was met with gunfire, resulting in injuries to the driver. Another driver, approaching from Ibadan, refused to stop and managed to evade the assailants.
The escapees described the kidnappers as ruthless, forcing the remaining passengers into the bush and firing shots indiscriminately.
Seven of the victims seized an opportunity to flee during the chaos, leaving behind the others who were taken hostage.
The escapees, five women and two men, emerged from hiding after the kidnappers retreated.
Severely injured and traumatized, they recounted their narrow escape, highlighting the desperate circumstances that led them to travel in search of livelihood.
“We are poor traders. If we had N100,000, would we have left our residences to source for money in another state, with a search for cheap means of transportation?” lamented one of the survivors.
The victims pleaded for both divine intervention and government assistance, emphasizing the need for increased security on highways to protect citizens seeking means of survival for their families.
Following the incident, law enforcement, including police officers from Idi Ayunre Division and tactical teams such as Operation Burst, swiftly responded.
Multiple patrol vehicles were dispatched to the scene as authorities began combing the bush in a bid to trace and apprehend the kidnappers responsible for this brazen attack on innocent travelers.
The survivors hope that their traumatic experience serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for enhanced security measures to safeguard the lives of ordinary citizens on major transportation routes.
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