By: Zagazola Makama
Troops have foiled an attempted kidnapping along the Makurdi–Kura Road in Benue State, though a driver tragically lost his life during an exchange of gunfire between soldiers and suspected bandits on Wednesday evening.
The incident was said to have occurred at about 6:30 p.m. when a team of engineers travelling from Kura to Makurdi ran into armed men who had barricaded the road in an attempt to abduct passengers in a bus ahead of them.
According to a local source, soldiers on routine patrol were driving behind the engineers’ vehicle and immediately confronted the attackers, engaging them in a shootout that forced the assailants to flee into the surrounding bush.
During the crossfire, the engineers’ driver, Ochoche Otokolo Ekwu, was struck by a stray bullet and died instantly.
The source further disclosed that the Divisional Police Officer of ‘D’ Division deployed a patrol team and tactical units to the scene, where the deceased was evacuated and taken to a mortuary in Makurdi.
Security operatives are said to be combing nearby bushes in search of the fleeing suspects while also working to forestall further attacks along the route.
