According to reports, a number of commuters heading to South-South Nigeria’s Cross River State for the New Year’s festivities have been abducted.
The incident happened on Sunday at Nde 3 Corners in the state’s Ikom local government district, it was learned. It happened at three o’clock in the afternoon.
On December 23, 2023, it was reported that numerous commuters, including a doctor and his son, had been abducted in Otukpa, Benue State, along the federal road between Makurdi and Enugu.
Despite the fact that there were multiple police and military checkpoints nearby, it was stated that the commuters were abducted on Thursday night.
The New Year’s Eve abduction brought the number of kidnapping incidents to four in the last month within the Nde 3- corners by Akparabong junction.
Expressing anguish over the persistent kidnapping incidents in the vicinity, locals informed journalists that the community had taken proactive measures to address safety concerns, including repairing troublesome road sections to facilitate smooth traffic flow.
The residents attributed the kidnappings to suspected herdsmen who, devoid of vehicles, would suddenly appear from the bushes, firing at passing vehicles and abducting victims into nearby forests.
Claiming that the assailants were residing in adjacent forests and a trailer park near the village, residents of Nde accused these individuals of being responsible for the escalating attacks.
Tony Etim, a resident, recounted a harrowing incident on December 28 at Nde 3 Corners, Ikom Local Government Area, where kidnappers abducted a man and a woman, resulting in the tragic death of a child.
Etim noted that this event occurred just three days after a previous attack on Christmas Day, during which gunmen killed Akpang Ayambem, kidnapped four individuals, and left several others wounded at the same location.
