At least 31 kidnapped passengers have been rescued by a combined team of Nigerian Army troops, police operatives, and local hunters after a violent night attack on commuters along the Apata-Obajana road in Kogi State.
The incident, which occurred late Thursday night, was made public by security analyst Zagazola Makama in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
According to the post, the attack took place around 11:50 p.m. on May 8, when armed bandits ambushed two Toyota Hiace buses travelling from Lagos to Kano and Katsina respectively.
The first bus, with registration number DTF 773 XA, was driven by Saminu Yahaya and carried 17 passengers en route to Kano. The second bus, with number KNA 170 XA, driven by Bashir Dahiru, also carried 17 passengers heading to Katsina.
Makama stated that the troops were alerted by a local hunter, prompting a swift response from the joint rescue team.
“The security personnel engaged the assailants in a fierce gun battle, forcing the criminals to abandon 31 of their captives and flee into the forest,” he wrote.
“Four of the rescued passengers sustained machete injuries, while one victim was shot in the left thigh,” Makama revealed.
“All the injured persons have been evacuated to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.”
Despite the success of the rescue, seven passengers remain missing.
Security forces have reportedly intensified efforts to locate and free the remaining victims.
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