Olu Samuel, Lokoja

All passengers in an 18 seater bus has been reportedly kidnapped at Ochadamu area in Ofu local government of kogi state on Anyigba -Itobe road , Kogi state.

An eyewitness stated that the incident happened around 4.pm on Monday at the notorious kidnapping spot at Ochadamu area on the said highway.

Our reporter learnt from a competent source in the areas that the hoodlums in their numbers flagged down the said bus at gun point on that spot on the highway and evacuated the passengers to the bush.

The bus was said to be heading to Abuja from the eastern region of the country .

The locals added further that kidnapping activities in the Ochadamu flash point which reduced drastically all these while has resumed recently after the army check point in the areas was dismantled since the last accident that killed many and destroyed over 20 cars in the area.

The security operatives, including the vigilantes in the area were said to be making frantic efforts to rescue the kidnapped victims since the incident happened on Monday .

Navy commander Jerry Omodara ( rtd) ,the state security adviser to governor Yahaya Bello who confirmed the incident on Thursday however said that the state government is on top of it .

He stated that the state government has put enough measures in place to arrest the kidnappers and rescue the victims as well as stem the tide of criminal activities in the area.

He said that since the hoodlums are coming back from their cells to operate in that region again , the government will rejig its measures and match fire to fire, assuring that the hoodlums will be neutralised shortly .

“We have fought them; we will fight them; and we will continue to fight them, until they are neutralised in that axis of the state. Security agents have been alerted and they will do the needful”, he said.

He stated further that the government has zero tolerance to criminal activities in any part of the state , assuring that the tide of such ugly incident will be reduced and in fact eliminated.