Gunmen abduct 18 Edo Line passengers along Benin–Auchi highway

18 passengers travelling on the newly launched Edo Line were abducted on Friday along the Benin–Auchi Expressway in Edo State.

The travellers, said to be en route to Abuja, were reportedly forced into the bush by the armed assailants before security operatives arrived at the scene.

A video circulating online showed vehicles lined up on both sides of the busy highway as panic spread among commuters.

As of press time, the kidnappers had yet to contact the victims’ families or demand ransom.

Confirming the incident on Saturday, the Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Moses Iyamu, said sixteen of the abducted passengers had been rescued.

He added that security agencies had intensified “search and rescue” operations in collaboration with local vigilantes and hunters to secure the release of the two remaining victims.