Large number of heavily armed men kidnapped passengers in Minna

Some heavily armed gun men suspected to be armed bandits Wednesday, kidnapped 36 passengers along Minna Zungeru road.

The gun men numbering over 300 were said to have invaded the high way in Garin Gabas in Rafi local government at about 2.35 pm and took the passengers traveling in two 18 seaters bus at gun point.

CAPITAL POST gathered that the dare-devil gun men who were wielding sophisticated guns and other dangerous weapons took the passengers to the bush.

It was further gathered that the gunmen drove on motorcycles in their large numbers held the passengers hostages for over two hours before taken them into the deep forest along Garin Gabas.
The passengers, it was further gathered were mostly women and children traveling to Kontagora from Minna, when they ran into the hands of the armed bandits.

According to an eye witness who narrowly escaped from the hands of the bandits Nasir Isyaka, told CAPITAL POST that the bandits in their large numbers took the residents of Garin Gabas by surprise when they invaded the high way and took the travelers unaware.

He said he noticed unusual movement along the highway while on his way to Zungeru when from a distance he heard some gunshots spadoricaly.
He told CAPITAL POST that the two buses were coming from Minna to Kontagora when they ran into the hands of the armed men.

The Commissioner of Police in Niger State, Mr Monday Bala Kuryas who confirmed the report in telephone interview with our correspondent disclosed that he could not give details of the number of passengers kidnapped.

He said he was yet to get detail of the operation of the gun men “but I can confirmed to you that there was reported activities of some armed bandits along Zungeru high way but I’m yet to get the full detail of the number of people involved”