NIGERIA: Suspected gunmen attacked a GUO Transport bus along the Ore–Benin Expressway, shooting the driver dead and dragging several passengers into nearby forests.
The incident reportedly occurred on an east-bound journey along the busy corridor linking Nigeria’s South-West to the South-South. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the attackers opened fire on the moving vehicle, fatally hitting the driver and forcing the bus to a halt before seizing passengers and marching them into surrounding bush paths.
Sources say the assailants operated with speed and coordination — a pattern consistent with kidnapping syndicates known to operate along the Ore–Benin route. The tactic of marching victims into forests is frequently used to evade security pursuit and delay rescue efforts.
As of the time of reporting, the exact number of abducted passengers remains unclear, and there has been no official confirmation from security agencies regarding the total casualties or the identities of those taken. Circulating footage and local testimonies suggest that multiple passengers were involved in the abduction.
The Ore–Benin Expressway has long been regarded as a high-risk route due to recurring incidents of armed robbery, kidnappings, and violent ambushes. Security analysts have repeatedly pointed to inadequate patrol coverage and the difficult terrain surrounding the highway as major factors enabling such attacks.
This latest incident adds to a growing list of violent assaults targeting travellers across Nigeria, where armed groups frequently attack buses and private vehicles for ransom operations. The persistence of such attacks continues to raise concerns about the safety of inter-state travel and the effectiveness of current security measures.
Authorities are expected to launch search and rescue operations, while families of the victims face an anxious wait for updates. The attack has once again renewed calls for increased security presence, better surveillance, and urgent reforms to safeguard major highways across the country.
