The Kogi State Police Command has initiated an intensive manhunt for the perpetrators behind the kidnapping of 14 Abuja-bound travelers who were abducted from two separate luxury buses at Inyenle Eteke, Ogugu, Olalamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The incident was first reported by social media influencer Chude Nnamdi on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, chude_. According to Nnamdi, the buses belonged to the renowned transportation companies Good Is Good (GIG) and ABC Transport. His wife was reportedly on one of the hijacked buses, although the exact number of individuals on both buses remains uncertain.
In his tweet on Sunday, Nnamdi shared, “The report reaching me this morning is that a GIG & ABC Transport buses heading to Abuja were hijacked by kidnappers yesterday in Kogi State.” He further revealed that the GIG bus, which departed from Umuahia at 7:30 am, was hijacked in Kogi State. Nnamdi added that the kidnappers contacted him through his wife’s phone, demanding a ransom of N15 million.
The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the incident and disclosed that a search and rescue operation had been launched to recover the victims. The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, stated that the Area Commander led a team to the location, where the two buses were found. However, the occupants were not present, making it challenging to determine the exact number of individuals on board.
In a later statement, Aya provided some clarity, stating, “God is Good Motors was with 12 passengers while ABC was with two passengers.” He also mentioned that Mr. Godwin Oniovosa, the driver of the ‘God is Good’ Motors, had been rescued, emphasizing that the search operation was ongoing.
When attempting to gather more information, PUNCH Metro contacted the customer care unit of God is Good Motors, but they declined to comment, redirecting inquiries to a senior officer named Chinyere. Despite promises of a callback, subsequent attempts to reach Chinyere proved unsuccessful, as she had blocked the correspondent’s phone number.
Similarly, efforts to contact ABC Transport were hindered as their available telephone lines were inaccessible at the time of filing this report. The situation remains fluid as authorities intensify efforts to locate and secure the release of the abducted travelers.
