At least 10 gunmen mounted a roadblock near Chanchangi town, located along Takum-Wukari road on Monday evening and forced a commercial van conveying 10 passengers from Takum to Wukari town into the forest.

Maiwada Takum, relative to one of the abducted travellers, said the kidnappers took seven people hostage.

They also took a one-year-old boy from his mother, who was travelling on the bus.

He said the van, a Sharon, was later found in a part of the Benue forest that shares boundary with Chanchangi town.

Maiwada said the kidnappers have not called relatives of the abducted passengers.

He said the mother of the infant is traumatised and is hospitalised at a clinic in Takum

Maiwada stated that this is the second time in three months the kidnappers abducted large number of persons from Takum town traveling along Takum-Wukari road and almost at the same spot.

Police spokesperson in the state, Leha Reform could not be reached for comment over the incident as his line was switched off when our reporter called him.

Daily Trust