By: Odeh Favour Adiya
The Kogi State Police Command has strongly dismissed rumors currently making the rounds on social media alleging that passengers were kidnapped by armed bandits along the Kabba-Okene Road.
Describing the reports as entirely false and misleading, the police urged members of the public to disregard the viral claims and maintain their calm.
Spokesperson for the Command, Oyiza Salisu, clarified the situation in an official statement on Friday. According to her, the incident, which occurred at about 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17, did not involve any form of abduction or criminal attack on commuters along the route.
Giving a breakdown of what actually transpired, Salisu explained that a commercial bus driven by one Ojo, an indigene of Kabba, was traveling toward Ibilo. The vehicle was loaded with bags of cocoyam and had no passengers on board when the driver suddenly spotted unusual lights on the road ahead.
Panicked by the sight, the driver attempted to make a quick U-turn to avoid any potential danger. However, upon seeing some individuals approaching the vehicle, he abandoned the bus and fled into the bush, running to a nearby military checkpoint to seek safety.
“It is important to state clearly that no passenger was kidnapped or harmed, as there were no passengers on board at the time of the incident,” Salisu stated.
Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the entire situation was non-criminal. Instead, it was discovered that the vehicle had developed an electrical fault, which heavily contributed to the confusion and the circumstances that triggered the driver’s alarm.
She further disclosed that the matter was promptly handled by operatives at the military checkpoint. Because there was no actual kidnapping, security breach, or casualty recorded, the incident was not formally logged as a crime report at the police station.
Following the clarification, the police confirmed that the loaded goods were later safely transferred to another vehicle and transported to their final destination without any further hitch.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the circulating claims of an armed bandit attack and abduction of passengers are misleading and not accurate,” she added, reassuring residents and motorists that the command remains fully committed to ensuring safety along major highways in the state.
