Armed bandits, Monday night, launched an assault along the Funtua-Gusau Road, Katsina State, erecting a barricade near Ungwar Boka Mine.
The attackers targeted two vehicles– a luxury bus en route Onitsha from Sokoto, and a Volkswagen Golf traveling from Gusau to Zaria.
According to a security source, due to the gunfire, both vehicles veered off the road.
“Responding promptly to the distress call, a police patrol team, identified as Operation EYE, deployed an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) to the scene.
“The officers arrived just in time to thwart the bandits’ attempt to abduct passengers. Faced with the swift and decisive action of the security team, the assailants retreated into the nearby bush, evading capture.
“Subsequently, the police successfully rescued 45 passengers from the luxury bus, predominantly of Igbo descent, and five additional individuals from the Golf with registration No: DKA-12YF,” the source said.
He added that all the abducted passengers were rescued unharmed and were presently under the secured care of the authorities.
However, the source disclosed that while most passengers have been safely accounted for, the whereabouts of five individuals suspected to be missing in the aftermath of the traumatic ordeal remains unknown.
The source further noted that the authorities have intensified search operations to locate the missing persons.
He also disclosed that the patrol team retrieved the luxury bus from the bush with considerable difficulty and it has been secured at the station as part of the ongoing investigation.
