An unidentified mother has appealed for help following the reported abduction of her child and other passengers travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to Akwa Ibom State.
The passengers were reportedly attacked along the Imo-Abia road on Thursday, with at least two commercial buses said to have been affected.
In a viral video, the distressed woman appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to help secure the release of her child and the other passengers.
She said her child, identified as Kehinde, was travelling to an NYSC orientation camp in Akwa Ibom State when the incident occurred.
‘Nigerians, help me. My child left home for NYSC camp and alerted our family WhatsApp group, typing ‘Kidnapper.’ Others also sent us videos. The incident happened along Imo to Abia,’ she said.
According to the woman, her twin children left home for the NYSC programme, with one posted to Enugu State and the other, Kehinde, posted to Akwa Ibom.
She said the twin posted to Enugu had arrived at the orientation camp, while Kehinde was reportedly abducted alongside other passengers.
‘We learnt my child, Kehinde, and the whole passengers and driver have been abducted. I’ve not been able to speak to my child. They were 19 abducted. Please, President and IGP Tunji Disu, help us. Please help us rescue them. I have not been able to talk to Kehinde since then,’ she said.
A man who recorded part of the incident identified a bus belonging to Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, with registration number KTE-360ZY, as one of the vehicles conveying the passengers.
Reports indicated that at least two commercial buses were affected, with passengers and drivers allegedly taken away by armed kidnappers.
Other vehicles travelling along the route were also reportedly attacked, with some passengers allegedly abducted. The exact number of victims remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
Another video circulating online showed distraught relatives saying some of those reportedly abducted were prospective corps members travelling from Ibadan to various NYSC orientation camps across the Southeast and South-South.
The prospective corps members reportedly boarded buses operated by Uko Akwa Ibom Motors at Samonda, Ibadan, to travel to orientation camps in Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo and Abia states.
Some worried relatives were also seen at the motor park where the passengers departed, informing other families whose loved ones had travelled from the same location.
A passenger reportedly travelling in another bus that escaped the attack filmed an abandoned commercial bus by the roadside and said: ‘They carried everybody, including the driver.’
As of the time of filing this report, the circumstances surrounding the reported abductions and the exact number of people affected remained unclear.