The police command in Edo State has said five passengers were abducted when gunmen attacked a GUO Transport bus along the Benin–Lagos Expressway have been rescued alive.

The development came after earlier reports by the Peoples Gazette that the bus passengers were abducted along the Benin-Lagos expressway.

A mother of one of the victims also appealed to the public to help raise the N50 million ransom demanded by her daughter’s kidnappers.

Also, the GUO Transport Company earlier said that its Toyota Hiace bus was dispatched empty from Lagos to Onitsha before it was attacked by armed robbers along the Okada-Benin Road and killed its drivers. It, however, kept mum on abducted passengers.

The command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem on Friday, disclosed in a statement that the victims were rescued alive following coordinated security operations.

The statement explained that the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, ordered the immediate deployment of tactical teams, intelligence assets, and aerial surveillance to the affected area.

She said, “The sustained rescue efforts, coordinated bush-combing operations, and strategic domination of the area exerted pressure on the kidnappers ultimately leading to the safe rescue of all victims.”

Mrs Ikoedem added that the rescued victims received medical attention and had been reunited with their families.

“In a related development, the command also successfully rescued four (4) other kidnap victims abducted earlier this month and held in captivity within the Imiegba forest in Agenebode. They have likewise received medical attention and are safe, making a total of Nine (9) kidnap victims rescued,” she said.

The police also reassured the public that security along the expressway and surrounding communities had been strengthened to ensure the safety of commuters.

She added that efforts were ongoing to arrest the perpetrators of the incident, promising to bring them to justice soon.