Edo State Police Command has confirmed that five passengers abducted during an attack on a GUO Transport Company bus along the Benin–Lagos Expressway have been rescued alive.
The clarification followed earlier reports that passengers were taken by gunmen during the incident on the busy highway, which had prompted appeals for help in raising ransom.
In a statement on Friday, the police spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, said the victims were freed after coordinated security operations across the affected area.
Ikoedem said the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, ordered the immediate deployment of tactical teams, intelligence assets and aerial surveillance to track the kidnappers.
“The sustained rescue efforts, coordinated bush-combing operations and strategic domination of the area exerted pressure on the kidnappers, ultimately leading to the safe rescue of all victims,” Ikoedem said.
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She added that the rescued passengers received medical attention and had since been reunited with their families.
The police statement also disclosed that four other kidnap victims, who had been abducted earlier this month and held in the Imiegba forest area of Agenebode, were rescued during a related operation. According to the command, this brings the total number of victims rescued to nine.
“All the rescued victims have received medical attention and are currently safe,” the statement said.
The police reassured motorists and residents that security along the Benin–Lagos Expressway and surrounding communities had been reinforced to protect commuters.
Ikoedem said efforts were ongoing to identify and arrest those responsible for the attack, assuring the public that the suspects would be brought to justice.