Gunmen on Friday launched an attack along the Fugar–Agenebode Road in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, killing two passengers and abducting 14 others.
The assailants reportedly blocked the highway and opened fire on oncoming vehicles, leading to chaos and panic among commuters.
In a swift response, a joint team of police operatives, local vigilantes, and hunters mobilised from Agenebode pursued the attackers into the nearby forest.
According to a statement by the spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, Moses Yamu, the rescue team engaged the kidnappers in a fierce gun battle along Obe Hill, near the pipeline route to Ajaokuta.
During the exchange of gunfire, all 14 kidnapped passengers were successfully rescued.
Tragically, a 12-year-old girl was fatally shot by the fleeing gunmen, and one female victim is still unaccounted for.
The police assured that efforts are ongoing to locate the missing woman and apprehend the attackers.