11 travellers kidnapped on Enugu-Abakaliki expressway

Gunmen

Gunmen have abducted 11 passengers on the Amechi-Idodo axis of the Enugu-Abakaliki highway.

PUNCH Online reports that the area has become notorious for such incidents.

Among the victims were students from tertiary institutions in the state traveling in a commercial bus from Awka, Anambra State to Abakaliki, the state capital.

The abduction, which reportedly occurred on Wednesday, took place when the hoodlums intercepted the bus at the Amechi-Idodo area in the Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu.

The location has recently become a beehive for kidnappings. A relative of one of the victims revealed that the kidnappers have contacted the family demanding a ransom of N30 million.

The Ebonyi Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joshua Ukandu, stated that the command is actively working to address the situation.

He added that the Commissioner of Police, Augustina Ogbodo, was collaborating with her Enugu State counterpart, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu, to combat the surge in kidnappings along this stretch of the highway.

To stem the tide of the growing insecurity in the area, the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, recently directed security agencies to intensify efforts to eradicate criminal activities terrorising the area.