42 passengers in commercial vehicles have been abducted by suspected armed bandits along Birnin Gwari-Kaduna road.

Danladi Idon Duniya, Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Birnin Gwari branch, confirmed to our reporter that the incidents occurred betweenTuesdayevening andWednesdaymorning.

He said the armed bandits accosted a trailer and three commercial vehicles and abducted 21 passengers from Birnin-Gwari, Kuriga and Kagara around8amon Wednesday.

“While yesterday (Tuesday) evening around5.15pm, another 21 people inside Sharon and Golf cars were kidnapped.

“One of our members, Auwal Alto managed to escape while they were being led to the bush by the bandits this morning. One other vehicle was involved in an accident during the pandemonium.

“He (Auwal Alto) told us that the bandits numbering about 50 were all armed with AK-47,” the chairman said.

The chairman said over 220 passengers have so far, been abducted by bandits within two weeks.

He said the Funtua-Birnin/Gwari road has been completely deserted by commuters for over two months due to the activities of the bandits.

“Many of our members lost their lives on that Birnin/Gwari- Kaduna route. We have now abandoned the route and now ply through the Birnin/Gwari-Minna-Kaduna long route, which has forced an increase in fare from N800 to N2,400 per passenger,” the chairman added.

Mukhtar Aliyu spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command when contacted pleaded for time to get back with details.

He, however, did not respond to subsequent calls as at the time of filing this report.