A combined team of Nigerian Army troops, police operatives, and local vigilantes on Wednesday night successfully rescued a 53-year-old passenger, Abubakar Ahmed, hours after suspected herdsmen ambushed two commercial buses along the notorious Benin–Sapele Expressway.
The attack occurred around 10:45 p.m. near Obayantor 2 community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, a densely vegetated stretch long feared by travellers for frequent kidnappings and robberies.
Gunmen emerged from the bush and opened fire, forcing a white commercial bus (registration 166 XB) travelling from Kaduna to Sapele to a halt.
Three of the four passengers and the driver, Ikechukwu Nwanonaku, managed to escape into the surrounding darkness, but Abubakar Ahmed was seized by the attackers.Acting on a distress call, security forces swiftly deployed to the scene.
Troops blocked possible escape routes while police and vigilantes pressed into the thick forest, maintaining sustained pressure that ultimately forced the kidnappers to abandon their victim.
“Once the alert came, we sealed the flanks and kept pushing. The pressure didn’t let them settle. That’s what made them drop the man and run deeper into the bush,” a security source involved in the operation told journalists.
Two expended cartridges were recovered at the scene, confirming the use of firearms.After an intensive search, troops located and rescued Abubakar Ahmed unharmed.
He was reunited with the driver and the three other passengers, Hassan Jafaru and Sani Saidi, who had earlier fled the attack. None sustained injuries.In a disturbing twist, a second bus (registration GB 211 LG, marked “Ovia South LGA”) was discovered abandoned a short distance away.
All doors were locked except the driver’s side, and there was no sign of the driver or any passengers.Items recovered inside included a power bank, a Samsung Android phone, and ₦9,500 cash.
Security agencies have launched an investigation to trace the missing occupants.Military sources described the axis as a persistent criminal hotspot but vowed intensified patrols and operations to dismantle gangs operating along the corridor.
The incident has once again highlighted the deteriorating security situation on the Benin–Sapele–Oghara route, with travellers calling for urgent and sustained government action.
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