On Sunday night, kidnappers ambushed an 18-passenger vehicle bound for Ado-Ekiti at Emure Ile, abducting all the passengers on board.
The attack occurred on the outskirts of Emure-Owo while the bus was returning from Onitsha.
A source from the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Ado-Ekiti Motor Terminal, revealed that the kidnappers captured the driver, Sunday Emmanuel, along with the passengers, and demanded a ransom of N30 million for each person.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that the kidnappers left behind several children on the bus, whose cries alerted passersby in the early hours of Monday. The situation was later reported to the nearest police station.
According to the source, two passengers managed to escape during the night before law enforcement arrived to recover the bus. “They drove the bus into the bush and dragged the passengers further into the forest. They called the family of the driver, and I pleaded to speak with him. After our conversation, they demanded a ransom of N30 million, telling us they would call back, but they have not done so yet,” the source said.
The children left behind on the bus caught the attention of individuals working nearby, who notified the police in Emure-Owo. Meanwhile, the driver’s union in Ado-Ekiti has convened a meeting to discuss how to reach the kidnappers.
The source also confirmed that two of the kidnapped victims managed to escape while being taken into the bush.
