A disturbing video has gone viral on social media, showing the 16 passengers abducted from a GUO Transport bus being maltreated by armed bandits in a bush. The incident happened on April 20 along the Benin-Ore Expressway in Edo State.
Gunmen ambushed the Abuja-bound bus, killed the driver on the spot, and dragged the passengers into the forest. In the leaked footage, the hostages – men and women – are seen on the ground, crying and pleading with their captors to let them go. The bandits, dressed in soldier-style camouflage uniforms and carrying rifles, stand over them.
One of the kidnappers is heard taunting in Pidgin: “Mummy, see your pikin.” The shaky video, believed to have been recorded by the abductors themselves, has sparked widespread anger online. Many Nigerians are calling it another sad example of the country’s worsening insecurity on major highways.
The Edo State Police Command has confirmed the attack and says it has launched a manhunt for the gunmen. So far, no group has claimed responsibility, and the passengers’ whereabouts remain unknown.
GUO Transport has not issued a fresh statement since the video surfaced. Families of the victims are now living in fear as they wait for news. Road travel in parts of Nigeria continues to be risky, with similar attacks reported in recent months. Many are asking the government to do more to protect citizens on the roads.
