Four passengers were abducted on Monday after armed men ambushed motorists on the busy Isanlu Isin Omu Aran road in Kwara State, eyewitnesses and residents said.
The attack happened in the early hours when assailants blocked the highway, a major artery connecting communities in Kwara South with the state capital, Ilorin.
Witnesses said the gunmen forced several vehicles to stop and then seized at least four travellers, driving them away to an unknown destination.
Residents who spoke from nearby settlements described scenes of panic as motorists fled and passengers scattered.
Road users were urged to avoid the corridor until security operatives restore normalcy.
When contacted, the state police spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire Adeyemi, said she had not yet been briefed on the incident and promised to investigate.
“I am not aware of this. I will find out and get back to you,” she said.
Local security sources say patrols have been stepped up and efforts are under way to trace the abductors and secure the release of the victims.