Breaking: Over 150 travelers abducted in daring Kaduna-Abuja road attack

DDM News

Kaduna, Nigeria – A wave of terror swept across Nigeria’s vital Kaduna-Abuja Expressway earlier today, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, as heavily armed bandits launched a brazen and coordinated attack, kidnapping an estimated 150 to 200 travelers.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reports that eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene of intense gunfire, burning vehicles, and desperate cries as commuters were forcibly marched into the dense forests lining the notorious highway.

This catastrophic incident marks a severe escalation in the country’s relentless struggle with insecurity, sending shockwaves across the nation.

The attack, which occurred near the dangerous Katari axis of the expressway around midday, saw multiple passenger vehicles, including commercial buses, private cars, and even a luxury coach, ambushed by a large contingent of gunmen.

Survivors, speaking from local police stations where they sought refuge, recounted harrowing tales of bullets raining down on their vehicles, forcing drivers to swerve off the road or abandon their cars in a desperate bid for safety.

“They just appeared from nowhere, shooting sporadically,” choked out a visibly traumatized woman who managed to escape by hiding in a ditch.

“It was pure hell. People were screaming, children were crying… then they just started dragging everyone into the bush.”

The scale of this abduction is unprecedented for the Kaduna-Abuja corridor in recent memory, a route that, despite heightened military presence, remains a significant flashpoint for kidnappings.

Security forces, including elements of the Nigerian Army and Police Mobile Force, reportedly arrived on the scene after the assailants had already vanished into the wilderness with their captives.

Reinforcement teams, including drones and special forces, have since been deployed for search and rescue operations.

However, as of this evening, there has been no official confirmation of any successful rescues or contact with the abductors.

Public outrage has reached a fever pitch.

Social media platforms are ablaze with condemnation and calls for immediate, decisive action from the government.

Many Nigerians are questioning the effectiveness of existing security strategies and demanding accountability from authorities.

Families of the abducted have begun to converge on Kaduna and Abuja, pleading for the safe return of their loved ones.

This latest atrocity casts a dark shadow over the nation’s security architecture and poses a critical challenge to the current administration, which has repeatedly vowed to stamp out banditry and insurgency.

The economic implications are also severe, as the Kaduna-Abuja highway is a critical commercial artery.

Heightened insecurity could cripple trade and movement between the Northern and Central regions.

The nation holds its breath, awaiting news of the fate of the hundreds of innocent lives now held captive in the hands of these ruthless criminals.

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