Motorists were stranded for over an hour as kidnappers block the ever-busy on Kaduna-Abuja highway.
A motorist Mohammed Sani Haruna informed Dateline Nigeria that the gunmen operated about 70km from Kaduna, effectively pausing vehicular movement on the highway.
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He said a motorist was forced to turn back after he ran into the gunmen. “He was shot on his arm but he was able to turn and escape. People assisted him to the hospital,” Haruna added.
Meanwhile, vehicular movements have resumed, he said.
“We are now on our way to Abuja. We saw a Toyota vehicle riddled with bullet holes, suggesting that the occupants may have been abducted. We also saw a Mercedes and a bus by the road side, with police talking to some people who probably escaped,” he added.
A journalist with the Hausa service of Voice of America (VOA) Nasiru Adamu El-Hikaya was also caught up in the incident, noting that they saw a man who was shot by the gunmen and had since been taken to the hospital.
A driver, who is a regular on the road, said the issue of kidnapping has worsened as gunmen now strike at will. “Unlike befor3 when they used to operate when it is getting dark or very early in the morning, now they just operate at will, at what ever time of the day.”
Former Senator representing Kaduna Central Shehu Sani tweeted that scores, including a young man he knows, were kidnapped.
Today, the Bandits along Kaduna Abuja audaciously blocked the road in broad daylight and kidnapped scores of people, including a young man I know. Operation Puff Adder needs reactivation. This is where the attention of the Northern Governors is needed,” he tweeted.
He recalled that the Inspector General of Police had promised motorists that that the road was safe, adding that the security agencies should do more to protect the people.
The Kaduna State Police Command is not immediately available for comment.
Dateline Nigeria reports that a number of of kidnapping incidents took place on the Kaduna-Abuja road, including one on Wednesday.
Story updated with pictures and senator’s comment.
