Kidnappers on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway had a field day carrying out their nefarious activities four times at different points on Sunday.
The Heritage Times gathered that the abducted persons on the highway include eight students of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria that were travelling to Lagos for a programme at the Nigerian French Language Village (NFLV) in Badagry.
Also abducted were an unspecified number of people with many feared dead after the Kidnappers attacked motorists on that express road.
Confirming the development to newsmen, residents of villages close to the expressway recounted how kidnappers blocked the highway four times in “swift operations”.
A resident of Akilubu simply identified as Joy was quoted as saying the first barrier was mounted around 4:00 pm blocking the lane from Abuja to Kaduna and later Kaduna to Abuja.
According to Joy, two more barriers were set up at Gadan Malam Mamman and at a place close to Rijana town.
“All these were on Sunday evening and many people were abducted while some were killed,” she said.
“The gunmen made their way into the forest with their victims.”
Corroborating Joy’s claim, Ibrahim Jamilu, a resident of Rijana, said the highway was blocked four times.
“I cannot say how many people were killed, I know the highway was blocked four times on Sunday evening,” Jamilu was quoted to have said.
“A few months back, the road was safe but the truth is the bandits have resurfaced and the authority needs to act fast.”
Also confirm the incident, some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) told newsmen that six people died from the incident, a claim which is in sharp contrast to the account of the Kaduna government which said only two people were killed.
The state government went on to note that nine of the abducted persons were rescued after troops engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel.
Some residents of Akilubu recounted how some girls were raped when they went to farm on Saturday before the kidnapping incident.
“They raped the girls badly and abandoned one of them in the bush,” an unidentified resident was quoted to have said.
“Those that escaped rushed home to inform the men who later went to the bush to bring her home.”
