At least four individuals were reportedly killed by assailants who set up an ambush along the Naka/Makurdi road on Friday night.
These attackers were said to have opened fire on two motorbike riders, occupants of a truck vehicle, and a vehicle belonging to the Benue State transport firm known as Benue Links.
An official from the transport company, who spoke anonymously to reporters, remarked, “Benue Links was one of the vehicles targeted on that particular day.
“We understand that as the bus was journeying from Makurdi to Otukpo, two motorbike riders were travelling in front of it, along with another truck ahead of them.
Suddenly, the driver observed the truck’s driver jumping down and fleeing into the bushes.
In a split second, he witnessed the assailants firing upon the truck’s conductor. They also targeted the first and second motorbike riders. Before the Benue Links driver could bring the vehicle to a halt, the attackers fired upon it. The bullets struck one of the passengers who was seated by the window, and the second shot injured another passenger in the leg.
One passenger perished within the vehicle, while the others fled into the bushes. According to reports, these individuals were dressed in full military attire, brandishing AK47 rifles.
The official went on to explain that the attackers evidently intended to eliminate all of the passengers since they targeted individuals directly. Subsequently, they shot at the bus’s fuel tank in the hopes that the vehicle would burst into flames.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Benue State Police Command, SP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident on Saturday during a conversation with our correspondent in Makurdi.
Anene detailed that the Benue Links bus, carrying passengers, was ambushed and assaulted by gunmen at around 8 p.m. on Thursday, as they were driving towards Naka in the Gwer West Local Government Area.
Anene reported, “The Benue Links vehicle was on its way to Naka around 8 pm when armed individuals emerged from the bushes and assaulted them. Three people sustained injuries, but prompt intervention prevented the attackers from killing them outright, which was their apparent intention.”
She noted that the wounded passengers were taken to a hospital for treatment, where one of them later passed away.
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