Some yet-to-be-identified gunmen have killed several passengers onboard a Benue State-owned public transport bus on Friday.
The bus was attacked while conveying the passengers to Otukpo from Makurdi, the state capital.
“The bus was travelling along the route and the gunmen appeared from the bush and started firing at the passengers. The driver and several others lost their lives,” Tersoo Tor, a resident of Adaka, a community along the incident’s route, said.
The Makurdi-Naka road has witnessed several attacks in the past few months forcing commuters to desert the road for safety concerns.
He added that the assailants aimed at the moving bus, firing gunshots from all angles.
Similarly, social media users from the state posted pictures of the attacked bus and lifeless bodies on the road. Several bodies could be seen.
The heavily armed attackers numbered 15, according to a Daily Post report.
Catherine Annene, Spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, confirmed the incident to reporters. She, however, said only three persons were killed in the attack.
“A bus belonging to Benue Links which was heading to Otukpo was attacked by unknown gunmen and three persons including women were wounded and one person died this morning,” Annene said.
