Gunmen have abducted 28 travellers in Zak community, Bashar district of Wase Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The incident occurred on Sunday night when the victims were travelling from Zak village to Sabon Layi community to attend a Maulud religious event. Those kidnapped reportedly include men, women and children.
Confirming the incident, a youth leader in Wase, Sapi’i Sambo, said the travellers were ambushed around 8:00 p.m. on the outskirts of the community. He explained that the attackers stopped the vehicle conveying the victims, took all the passengers away and abandoned the vehicle at the scene.
According to Sambo, two princes and a religious leader who were leading the journey were among those abducted.
Another resident of Bashar town, Ibrahim Musa, said the whereabouts of the victims were still unknown as of the time of reporting.
Sambo added that the abandoned vehicle, which belongs to a community leader in Zak, was discovered on Monday morning by road users, prompting an investigation that revealed the passengers had been kidnapped.
He said efforts by the community to trace the victims had so far been unsuccessful, but security agencies had been notified.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, SP Alabo Alfred, confirmed that the police were investigating the reported abduction.
Wase Local Government Area has witnessed recurring cases of kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling in recent times, with residents calling on security agencies to intensify operations against criminal elements in the area.
