Over 30 passengers and staff members at a train station in Edo State (southern Nigeria) were abducted on Saturday. Local authorities have banded with other security forces for a search-and-rescue operation for victims.
According to Vanguard, passengers and staff members at an Igueben train station awaited for the 5 p.m. train to arrive. About 20 minutes before 5 p.m., bandits with AK-47s stormed the station and shot in the air. They took travelers and staff, transporting them to a forest area. Among the approximately 29 passengers was the train station’s manager and booking clerk.
The exact number of those abducted is unknown.
Authorities said some escaped while sustaining bullet wounds. Witnesses say that a woman fled with her baby, and two children were released because children were believed to “slow down their movements.” The kids were allegedly dropped off at an abandoned gas station, and family members of the children’s mother were contacted and instructed where to pick them up.
Authorities confirmed that at least one of the kidnappers was arrested and that security and hunters were still searching for the others. The bandits are suspected to be herders. The Vanguard reported that there were two abductors.
“As I speak, people are in the field all over the place, vigilantes, security agencies and other people, everybody is concerned, but we have to be careful with what we divulge so we don’t jeopardize the processes we are doing,” Liaison officer Best Oseh said.
The Edo train station is shut down indefinitely due to the lack of security, a big concern addressed during Nigeria’s 2023 elections, in which President Muhammadu Buhari’s replacement will be chosen.
There have been previous attacks at train stations due to the lack of security and police presence. Before this attack, one happened on March 28, 2022, when bandits entered the Abuja Kaduna train, killing 14 passengers and abducting 65.
