Armed bandits have kidnapped about 30 travellers in Niger state, including a commissioner with the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), his driver, and a former chairman of the Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB).
The incident happened on Monday evening along the Zugurma–Ibbi road near the Ibbi National Park in Borgu local government area of the state.
Witnesses said the victims were travelling in separate vehicles when the assailants, numbering over 100, blocked the highway and opened fire.
The NSIEC commissioner and the former NSUBEB chairman were reportedly on different trips, while the other victims were passengers in three commercial buses.
Eyewitnesses said the bandits first attacked policemen stationed at the entrance of the national park before moving to the road.
“Before taking to the highway, the bandits first immobilised the policemen stationed at the entrance to the national park.
“Farmers working nearby went into hiding during the gunfire. And when they came out, they saw the vehicles abandoned on the roadside,” a witness told Daily Sun.
The gunmen were said to have whisked the victims away into the forest after the attack.
The police spokesperson in Niger, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
Abiodun said the gunmen destroyed two patrol vehicles before abducting the victims.
“Men of the police tactical teams, in conjunction with other security agencies and vigilante members, are already trailing the kidnappers with a view to rescuing the abducted victims and possibly arresting the gunmen,” he stated.