Suspected gunmen have abducted a driver of a commercial vehicle travelling along Akure /Ikere Ekiti road.
This was coming barely 24 hours after the governors of Southwest states converged on Ibadan, Oyo State capital to solution to violent crimes in the zone.
The incident occurred barely a week after the Nigerian Army launched an Anti-Kidnapping drone to tackle kidnapping in Ondo and Ekiti axis of the Southwest.
Sources said that the commercial driver identified as Felix Akinde was driving towards Akure from Ado Ekiti when the hoodlums who had blocked the roads stopped him and reportedly took him and the passengers away.
The source said that the vehicle was left open in the middle of the road, saying this was what attracted a member of the public to the abandoned vehicle and raised the alarm.
The source at Ado garage in Akure, who confirmed the abduction of the driver, saidthat the actual number of the passengers in the bus could not be confirmed but said the incident had been reported at the police station.
His words: “The garage was contacted and the driver’s union swung into action, only to find the vehicle belong to one of the members of the union.
“The hoodlums took advantage of the bad spot to carry out their operation, the whereabouts of the occupants of the vehicle remained unknown, but we have reported to the security operatives.”
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Femi Joseph, who confirmed the kidnapping story, however, debunked the report that more than 10 people were abducted in the incident.
Joseph said that only the driver of the vehicle travelling to Akure was reported to have been kidnapped by the unknown gunmen, disclosing that the family of the driver had reported the incident at the police station.
He described the alarm raised by some people in the state over the incident as a deliberate attempt to cause panic in the state.
Joseph said, “The Ondo State Police Command wishes to allay the fear of the general public as a result of the news making the rounds on the Social media that an 18-seater bus conveying some passengers from Ikere to Akure was blocked while 10 passengers were kidnapped.
“We wish to state that the story was exaggerated and good enough, and to set the record straight, a space bus Toyota Previa vehicle was driven by one Akinde Felix from Ikere Ekiti enroute Akure on Tuesday, with only the driver inside.
“At about 4:30pm on a spot close to the NYSC camp at Itaogbolu, the vehicle was blocked by suspected hoodlums, while the driver who was the only occupant was whisked away.
“The Command has since begun an investigation and intensifying efforts to not only rescue the victim but to also arrest the perpetrators”.
He also denied the involvement of any Corps member serving in the state in the kidnapping incident, maintaining that only one person was abducted.
Meanwhile, the NYSC in the state, on Wednesday, debunked the news that some Corps member in the state had been kidnapped.
This was contained in a statement by the management of the NYSC in the state, saying the news is not only false but baseless and unfounded.
It stated that “the management through the established procedure can authoritatively tell the general public especially the parents and guardians not to panic as all Corps members serving in all the local governments in the state or those who are currently in camp at Ikare-Akoko are safe, sound and healthy.
“The Management of NYSC has put in place necessary machinery and effective measure to safeguard at all times the lives and properties of members of the service Corps.”
