Gunmen have reportedly abducted 31 passengers plying the Birnin-Gwari route in two separate incidents
In the second incident, the gunmen reportedly asked the female passengers to take off their clothes, before leading them into the bush
The NURTW chairman in the area confirmed the incident; but added that since the abductions, no one had contacted them Unidentified gunmen allegedly kidnapped 31 persons on two separate occasions between Tuesday, May 22 and Wednesday, May 23. According to Daily Trust, the first incident occurred on Tuesday, around 7pm, when a Sharon bus was stopped by the bandits at a town known as Ladi, close to Buruku.
It was gathered that nine passengers and a driver were reportedly abducted from the vehicle, and led into the bush by the bandits. The second incident occurred on Wednesday, at 7am, when bandits again stopped three Golf cars carrying six passengers and the drivers, and led them into the bush. Before being led into the bush however, the gunmen reportedly asked the female passengers to take off their clothes. The abductions were reportedly confirmed by the chairman of the taxi section of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Birnin Gwari, Malam Danladi Idon Duniya, who disclosed that clothes belonging to female passengers in the cars, were found by villagers.
He said: “They probably stripped the women among them of their clothes, before taking them away. But up till now, nobody has contacted us.” According to Duniya, instead of hiding in bushes, the bandits now sit by the roads as if they are policemen, and flag down any oncoming vehicle they see. He said no commercial vehicle has plied the Birnin Gwari to Funtua route for two months now, because of the frequency of attacks there.
Recall that eighty seven passengers travelling along the Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna highways were kidnapped by armed bandits operating in the area. The bandits selected their victims from their looks and dressing, and herded them into the bush. The kidnappings were confirmed by the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the area, which cautioned its members from plying the route, pending deployment of troop and other security agencies.
Naij.com