• Abduct 16 passengers, driver
From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Gunmen have hijacked a commercial bus belonging to a popular transport company with all 16 passengers onboard, including the driver on the Emohua axis of the East-West Road, Rivers State.
It was gathered that the armed men struck yesterday morning, when they blocked the road and opened fire on the bus, as it approached the area, thereby forcing the driver to stop the .
A source told Daily Sun that the gunmen shot sporadically as the bus approached the barrier erected by the bandits.
According to the source, the armed men led the 16 passengers, including the driver into the bush.
The source further disclosed that some of the hoodlums shot directly at the bus, while other gang members stood by the roadside, adding that the ill-fated bus was riddled with bullet shots and later abandoned by the road side.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), who confirmed the development to newsmen, said the command was currently analysing the information received from eyewitnesses.
Omoni said concerted efforts were already on to apprehend the hoodlums.
He appealed to the public to be vigilant and assist the police or other security agencies with useful information on any suspicious movement around the area.
A combined team of security operatives, including the mobile police, anti-kidnapping and anti-cultism unit, Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), and the Niger Delta Task Force, Operation Restore Hope, have been deployed to the forest bordering Emohua and Ikwerre local government areas.
The PPRO further disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed, would make a public statement after he had been fully briefed on the matter.