society

Armed men rob travellers, set bus on fire

Some armed men, on Saturday, attacked and looted a luxury bus at Oke Ado Junction, Ijebu-mushin, along the Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway.

The passengers were said to be on their way to the southeast for Easter celebrations when the incident happened.

The hoodlums, after successfully robbing the passengers, decided to set the bus ablaze.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, SP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident.

Odutola said, “It happened in Oke Ado junction at Ijebu Mushin. A luxury Mercedes Benz bus was burnt down. The vehicle was coming from Maza Maza before it encountered the hoodlums. No reference to gun was made.They (the hoodlums) wielded cutlasses.”

The 59-seater bus was said to be operated by Ifesinachi Transport Limited.

In a video uploaded on social media by Chude Nnamdi, some of the affected passengers narrated how they were accosted by the bandits who stole their belongings and set the bus on fire.

One of the passengers said, “Ifesinachi Motors, we were travelling in the night to come back to the East for Easter celebration, and criminals attacked us in Ijebu Ode along Ore-Benin Expressway.

“They robbed us of everything we had, some they stripped half-naked. They locked us inside the 59-seater luxury bus and set it ablaze. We thank God that we later escaped; nobody died, but everything we had was collected.

“We thank God that we didn’t lose anyone but we lost everything we were travelling with and some sustained injuries.

“This is Ifesinachi Motors that we are travelling with on Friday night and this attack happened around 2am.

“They stripped us half-naked. You can see it; the people in the vehicle are completely stranded. There are some people who were macheted and some who broke their legs. We have children among us.”