Seven Kidnapped As Gunmen Ambush Vehicle In Ondo

At least seven passengers were abducted as gunmen suspected to be kidnappers ambushed a vehicle near the Ipele community along the Owo-Benin highway in Ondo State.

A report obtained by Naija News on Tuesday indicated that the victims were travelling from a state in the South-South region to Akure, the capital of Ondo State when the incident transpired over the weekend.

There have been varying accounts regarding the number of individuals abducted.

However, the spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed to Channels Television that seven individuals were indeed kidnapped.

Odunlami further stated that the police have promptly initiated efforts to apprehend the perpetrators and ensure the swift rescue of the victims.

In another news, it was reported that the traditional ruler of Udo-Eguare, His Royal Highness Friday Ehizojie, has been kidnapped by gunmen in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State.

The monarch was reportedly abducted on a forest path between Ubiaja and Udo community, where armed assailants ambushed him.

Eyewitnesses who spoke with Daily Trust said the attackers shot dead a commercial motorcycle rider before seizing the traditional ruler and five others. However, reports indicate that one of the captives later escaped.

A source disclosed that the kidnappers targeted the monarch specifically, raising concerns over the motive behind the abduction.

Confirming the incident, the Spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, Moses Yamu, said the police received a report about the kidnapping of the traditional ruler and a 21-year-old man.

He explained that the monarch was on a motorcycle heading to his community when the attackers ambushed them, killing the Okada rider before taking the ruler away.