Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Some gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen over the weekend allegedly hijacked three buses along Enugu Ezike Community in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Reports said that over 30 civilians were abducted by the marauders with four Soldiers on board one of the buses heading to the northern part of the country.
However, one of the soldiers, PTE Usendu Emediong, managed to escape during the raid, while the other three, PTE Usoro Ezekiel Paul, Jeremiah Inimbom Thomas, and PTE Victor Itiat Godwin, were taken away with the other passengers.
An eyewitness who pleaded anonymity said that the kidnappers numbering 17 marched all the passengers into the bush after operating for over an hour.
“Not far from my village, a 17-member ragtag Fulani herdsmen kidnap gang operated for over an hour on a busy but bad road that links the eastern part to the northern part of the country. The road is bad,” he said.
“They successfully attacked three 18-seater buses and forcefully kidnapped at least 35 people from those buses.
“But in the course of moving the victims into the bush, one of them managed to escape and it was when he came out that he narrated how they were kidnapped and we got to know he is a soldier.
“He said he and three other soldiers were going from Akwa Ibom to Kaduna State in one of the commercial vehicles.”
The eyewitness also narrated how local hunters from Enugu Ezike encountered the kidnappers in the bush but had to hide for fear of being killed by the herdsmen, who welded superior fire power.
He said: “They heard one of the victims complaining that he couldn’t continue walking as he was tired, incidentally, he was shot dead instantly by his captors.
“Hours after, both the local hunters and the military operatives entered the bush and saw the dead body which was later taken to the morgue.
“This Sunday morning, a helicopter has been hovering around this town causing apprehension among villages.”
Meanwhile, a military signal obtained by SaharaReporters confirmed the abduction of the soldiers.
Police are yet to react to the incident.
