No fewer than 28 travellers have been reportedly kidnapped by gunmen in Zak community, Bashar district, Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The victims made up of men, women and children were travelling from Zak village to Sabon Layi community on Sunday night to attend an Islamic gathering when they were intercepted by armed attackers.
This abduction happened a few hours after the federal government declared gunmen men and armed groups as terrorists.
The announcement was made on Monday in Abuja by the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, during an end-of-year press briefing, where he outlined a tougher national security posture aimed at ending what he described as years of ambiguity in dealing with violent criminal groups.
Premium Times reports that the abducted group included two princes and a religious leader who was leading the delegation.
The attack by the gunmen was said to have taken place around 8pm, when the travellers were ambushed at the outskirts of the community. The assailants reportedly forced all the passengers out of the vehicle and took them away, leaving the car by the roadside.
Other road users reportedly discovered the abandoned vehicle, said to belong to a community leader in Zak, on Monday morning. This discovery sparked concern among residents and led to a search effort.
It was during preliminary inquiries, the report noted, that the community realised the vehicle had been used to transport the abducted travellers. Attempts by locals to trace the victims have so far proved unsuccessful.
Plateau State has witnessed a rise in kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling in recent months. On December 17, gunmen reportedly killed 12 people and abducted three others during an attack on miners in Fan community, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
Similarly, on December 14, at least four children were said to have been killed in a reprisal attack on Dorong village, Foron district, also in Barkin Ladi LGA.
