Gunmen suspected to be bandits have demanded N30million ransom for passengers ambushed and kidnapped on Sunday night in an 18-seater bus bound for Emure Ile in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The incident happened at the outskirts of Emure-Owo, as the bus was returning from Onitsha.
According to Channels Television, a source at the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Ado-Ekiti Motor Terminal branch, the bandits kidnapped the driver, Sunday Emmanuel, alongside other passengers, demanding a ransom of N30 million each.
The source, who pleaded anonymity, revealed that the kidnappers abandoned some children on the bus, whose cries attracted the attention of passersby in the early hours of Monday before it was reported to the nearest police station.
The source added that two passengers escaped during the night before police arrived at the scene to recover the bus.
His words, “They drove the bus into the bush and dragged people inside the bush.
“They called the family of the driver and I pleaded to speak with the driver and after our conversation, they demanded a ransom of N30 million. They said they would call back, but they have not done so yet.
“They left some children on the bus, and it seems that some people at the the farm saw the kids and alerted the police in Emure-Owo
“The driver’s union in Ado-Ekiti is currently holding a meeting on how to reach out to the kidnappers.
The source added that two of the kidnapped victims escaped while they were being herded into the bush.”
