Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have attacked a commercial bus operated by GUO Transport along the Ore–Benin expressway, killing the driver and abducting several passengers in what underscores Nigeria’s deepening insecurity on major highways.

Reports indicate that the assailants ambushed the east-bound vehicle, opened fire on the driver, who died at the scene and subsequently whisked away passengers to an unknown destination. The incident is believed to have occurred along a notorious stretch of the highway linking the South-West to the South-South, long plagued by banditry and abductions.

While official confirmation from security agencies is expected, local sources and a circulating video showed that passengers might have forcefully been taken into nearby forests, a tactic commonly employed by kidnapping syndicates operating along the corridor. Similar attacks in the past have involved mass abductions, with victims later released after ransom payments.

The Ore–Benin expressway has increasingly become a hotspot for such criminal activities, with security analysts attributing the trend to inadequate patrol coverage, difficult terrain, and the strategic importance of the route for interregional travel.

This latest incident adds to growing public frustration over what many describe as the normalization of violent attacks on Nigerian roads. Nigerians have repeatedly called for intensified security presence, surveillance infrastructure, and coordinated response mechanisms to curb the menace. (Guardian)

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