Suspected armed herdsmen on Saturday evening hijacked a Benue Links vehicle and abducted several female passengers along the Owukpa–Orokam road in Ogbadibo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.
The incident occurred around 7 p.m. near the Eyiupi community as the victims were traveling from Orba market in Enugu to Owukpa.
The attackers, suspected to be armed herdsmen, reportedly ambushed the vehicle and took away the female passengers, both young and adult.
One of the victims, who sustained severe gunshot wounds during the attack, was left behind due to excessive bleeding that could have compromised the abductors’ location.
She is currently receiving treatment at the intensive care unit of St. Mary’s Hospital in Okpoga.
Leader of the Owukpa vigilante group, Amos Agada, who confirmed the incident, said as of Sunday morning, the kidnappers had not contacted any of the victims’ families.
He added that local security operatives were already making efforts to rescue the abducted women.
Also, a community leader, Hon Adikwu Daniel, who raised the alarm in a statement, urged the Chairman of Ogbadibo Local Government Council and security agencies to act swiftly to rescue the victims and install a sustainable security presence along the dangerous route.
“The area has long been a danger zone, and no serious security network is in place to stop or reduce these attacks,” he warned.
The call for action has also been copied to the Ada Ogbadibo, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Orokam.
