Panic as gunmen kidnap commuters in Delta

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have reportedly abducted commuters, including a 24-year-old daughter of a newspaper vendor, as they were traveling in a commercial bus along the Jesse-Oben Road in Delta State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident took place just before Oben, a town located within Edo and Delta States border.

It was gathered that the kidnappers who fired gunshots into the air to instill fear in their captives spared the driver and conductor of the bus traveling from Sapele to Asaba, allowing them to escape, while leading the passengers into the nearby forest.

The Edo State Police Command has not yet officially confirmed the kidnapping as of the time of filing this report.

But the incident has reportedly left a Sapele-based newspaper vendor and father of one of the victims, in a state of anguish and desperation, just as he passionately called on the relevant authorities to intensify their efforts to secure the release of his daughter. The kidnappers were said to have reached out to the distraught vendor demanding a staggering ransom of N10 million for the safe return of his daughter.

Consequently, he has specifically appealed to the Governor of Delta State, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and the security agencies for assistance in freeing his abducted daughter.

Meanwhile, the Newspapers Vendors Association, Sapele Branch, has in a statement signed by its Chairman and Secretary, condemned the appalling act, describing it as inhuman and heinous.

The association urged the Edo and Delta state governors as well as the security agencies to spare no effort in apprehending the culprits responsible for the heartless crime.Punch