Armed men have attacked a commercial bus in Kogi State, shot the driver and abducted several travellers, security sources and eyewitnesses say, in a fresh outbreak of violence that has raised alarm among road users in the region.

The incident occurred on Thursday evening along the Ajaokuta-Lokoja road, a highway that has become notorious for banditry and kidnapping. Eyewitnesses told reporters that the bus was heading towards Lokoja after departing from a transit park in Ajaokuta when the gunmen, numbering about six to eight on motorcycles, blocked the vehicle and opened fire. The driver was struck in the chest and collapsed.

Passengers said the assailants then forced everybody off the vehicle, shot the driver dead and forced several male travellers into the forest nearby before speeding away. A survivor who escaped into nearby bushes said he lost sight of the kidnappers but estimated that between 10 and 15 passengers were taken.

“We were on the Iddo-Ajaokuta stretch when they ambushed us,” the survivor said. “One moment we were driving the next moment the gunshots rang. The driver fell down and they collected some travellers and forced them away.

”Sources within Operation Whirl Stroke, a joint military and police taskforce operating in the region, said forces have been mobilised to the area to pursue the gunmen and rescue the abducted victims. A spokesman for the Nigeria Police Force in Kogi State confirmed that an attack was reported and said investigations are ongoing to determine the exact number of victims and their identities.

The attack is the latest in a series of militant raids and kidnappings on major highways linking Kogi with neighbouring states. Travel groups and transport unions have condemned the incident, calling on security authorities to intensify patrols and adequately protect commuters along vulnerable routes.