SECURITY forces have successfully rescued thirteen abducted Benue Links passengers kidnapped at Eke in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.
The victims were rescued in a joint effort led by the police and local vigilantes.
The chairman of the local government, Adah Inalegwu, confirmed the rescue of the victims on Sunday, June 29.
According to Channels Television, Inalegwu said the joint operations led by the police and members of vigilantes in that area mounted pressure, combing the forest.
He said the pressure reportedly led to the rescue of two of the passengers on Saturday.
He added that the youths enlisted help from Kogi State, leading to increased pressure that forced the kidnappers to abandon the remaining 11 victims at Oando village on Sunday around 4 pm.
According to him, Governor of Benue State Hyacinth Alia’s logistical support, combined with enhanced security surveillance and tracking, facilitated the rescue of the victims.
Recall that a fully loaded commercial bus belonging to Benue Links Transport Company was hijacked by hoodlums at Eke, along the Otukpo-Otukpa Road in Okpokwu Local Government Area on Sunday, June 23.
Reports show that the incident occurred around 6:30 pm on Sunday, where the attackers reportedly robbed all the passengers before taking them into the bush.
Meanwhile, a combined team of security agencies was launched in the area to search for the victims.
The Benue State Police Command confirmed the incident but noted that the command is working to rescue the victims and apprehend the abductors.
The recent attack in Benue State has sparked doubts about President Bola Tinubu’s directives to tackle insecurity in the area, with many questioning the government’s ability to keep citizens safe.
Recall that President Tinubu visited Benue after the killings of over 200 residents and ordered service chiefs and the IGP to arrest those behind the attack.
The ICIR reports that killings in the state have spanned several years, and more than 200 residents have reportedly died in the onslaughts since the beginning of this month.
While some blame cropper-herders’ conflict for the carnage, others label the assailants as foreign terrorists.
Addressing the state’s present and past leaders, as well as other residents during his visit, Tinubu said that if the state accommodated non-indigenes seeking to live and conduct their businesses, there would be less conflict in the land.
Conversely, the Tor Tiv, James Ayatse, a professor who spoke during the visit, dismissed claims that the killings were the products of clashes between herders and farmers.
Ayatse said they were “a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign.
A reporter with the ICIR
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