Armed men suspected to be bandits on Sunday evening abducted several members of a church travelling along the Makurdi–Naka Road in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.

Security analyst, Zagazola Makama, confirmed the incident in a post shared on his official X handle on Monday.

According to Makama, sources revealed the attack occurred at about 7:10 p.m. near Tyolaha village when a bus transporting members of the Chosen Church from Makurdi to Naka was ambushed by the gunmen.

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The bus driver, identified as 52-year-old Ogijo Jibrin, reportedly told the police that the attackers suddenly emerged from the bush and blocked the highway at gunpoint.

Witnesses said two other buses carrying passengers managed to reverse and flee the scene, but an unspecified number of passengers from Jibrin’s bus were seized and taken into the bush.

Jibrin and seven other passengers, however, escaped and later reported the incident to the police.

Troops of Operation Whirlstroke, in collaboration with the Divisional Police Officer in Naka, quickly mobilised patrol and tactical teams to the scene.

The joint security team successfully rescued the driver and the seven passengers, and a coordinated operation was launched to secure the release of those still in captivity.

The Commissioner of Police, through the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Makurdi, ordered the deployment of personnel from the Counter-Terrorism Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Operation Zenda, State Intelligence Bureau, and the Police Mobile Force to support the rescue efforts.

The command revealed that intensive bush-combing operations were underway to track down the perpetrators and ensure the safe recovery of the abducted victims.

It added that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had commenced a thorough investigation into the incident.