Monday night saw a group of armed bandits launching an assault along the Funtua-Gusau Road in Katsina State, setting up a roadblock near Ungwar Boka Mine.
The attackers focused on two vehicles – a luxury bus traveling from Sokoto to Onitsha and a Volkswagen Golf heading from Gusau to Zaria.
Due to the exchange of gunfire, both vehicles swerved off the road.
A security source revealed that in response to the distress call, an Operation EYE police patrol team swiftly arrived at the scene, deploying an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC).
The timely arrival of the officers disrupted the bandits’ plans to abduct passengers. Faced with the rapid and decisive action of the security team, the attackers retreated into the nearby bush to avoid capture.
“As a result, the police successfully rescued 45 passengers from the luxury bus, predominantly of Igbo descent, and five additional individuals from the Golf with registration No: DKA-12YF,” mentioned the source.
The source assured that all rescued passengers were unharmed and were currently in the secure custody of the authorities.
Nevertheless, it was revealed that while most passengers have been located safely, the status of five individuals believed to be missing following the distressing incident remains uncertain.
The source also stated that search efforts have been intensified by the authorities to find the missing persons.
Additionally, the patrol team managed to retrieve the luxury bus from the bush, facing significant challenges in the process. The bus has been secured at the station for ongoing investigative purposes.