Two soldiers, two workers of the Yobe State Government House, and two staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria have been abducted on the Maiduguri-Damaturu Road.
The victims were said to be travelling in a commercial bus on Monday when the vehicle was intercepted by insurgents between Mainok and Jakana, near Maiduguri, Borno State.
A resident, who identified himself only as Alhaji Gudusu, said the bus driver was cautioned by the passengers, who suspected that the uniformed men were insurgents, but he ignored their advice.
Gudusu said, “He drove straight to the terrorists, who just seized them and took them to a bush. They collected the identity cards of all the passengers, displayed them and snapped them before posting same on social media.”
The two soldiers — a corporal and a private – were said to have got clearance from their superiors to travel before they were kidnapped.
It was gathered that the two government workers were transporting diesel to the Yobe State Liaison Office in Maiduguri. An official of the Yobe State Government, Gambo Ahmed, confirmed the incident.
He said, “They were transporting the diesel, which was loaded in two tanks in a commercial vehicle carrying passengers to Maiduguri. Also, two FAAN employees and two soldiers were among those kidnapped by the ISWAP terrorists as attested to by sources within the military and civilian JTF in Maiduguri.”