Breaking News: 15 Missing After Vigilante Attack on Bus in Benue-Taraba Route
Reports emerge of a harrowing incident along the Benue-Taraba route, where armed assailants, suspected to be vigilante personnel, ambushed an 18-seater bus traveling from Zaki/Biam in Benue State to Maihura in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State. Among the missing are women and children.
The attack occurred at Gankwe village along the Donga-Mararaban-Baissa road in the Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The bus driver, Mr. Mpuuga Mbaave, narrowly escaped with machete wounds, recounting the horrifying ordeal to journalists via phone. He described how the armed men, donning vigilante uniforms, surrounded the bus and began assaulting passengers.
According to Mbaave, the assailants, incensed by recent clashes involving their members, targeted passengers of Tiv ethnicity, ordering them out of the bus and forcing them to lie facedown. Despite his efforts to resist, Mbaave eventually fled the scene along with his conductor, both sustaining injuries in the process.
Confirming the incident, Hon. Ezra Voka, Chairman of Doonga Local Government Council, revealed his involvement in the search for the missing individuals. "Please my friend, I am already in the bush in search of the missing people. We cannot talk much now till when I get more information from here," he stated, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
Authorities are currently investigating the attack and intensifying efforts to locate the missing persons amid growing concerns over security along the route.
