From Isaac Job, Uyo

Unknown gunmen reportedly kidnapped a driver and 18 passengers along the Azumini boundary between Akwa Ibom State and Abia State.

The bus, which belongs to the Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC), was said to be travelling to Port Harcourt from Uyo.

Daily Sun gathered that the incident occurred, last Wednesday, when the AKTC bus left Uyo terminal passing through Iwukem in the Etim council area before they were intercepted by their abductors in the Azumini axis of the road.

Related News

A witness, who pleaded anonymity, said the gunmen stopped the driver of the vehicle after shooting into the air, while others came out from the bush and joined in the shooting spree. He said all the passengers were ordered to come out from the vehicle or be killed and they obliged.

“The driver was the first person to come down. Other passengers were ordered to follow immediately. The kidnappers moved all of them to the bush and escaped with them. The whereabouts of the passengers is not known for now,” the witness said.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Timfon John, while reacting to the incident, said the police were still monitoring the situation.

“That incident happened along the Azumini axis of the road after Etim Ekpo local government area. All I can say is that the police are still monitoring the situation for now,” she said.