On July 31, 2025, gunmen ambushed a vehicle on the Chinkai–Kente–Wukari Road in Taraba State, abducting a university lecturer and a businessman—who later escaped—highlighting growing insecurity in the region.
A terrifying ambush unfolded on Thursday, July 31, along the Chinkai–Kente–Wukari Road in Taraba State, where gunmen kidnapped a lecturer from Taraba State University and violently attacked a businessman who was traveling with him.
The two victims—Engineer Joshua Saleh, a 38-year-old lecturer, and Emmanuel Haggai Bibinu, a 42-year-old businessman—were on their way from Abuja to Jalingo when they were intercepted around 4 p.m. by four armed men. The incident occurred between Janda‑Ikula and Ikyior villages, within the volatile Wukari Local Government Area, a region increasingly plagued by banditry and road ambushes.
The assailants, wielding a gun and several cutlasses, fired multiple shots at the victims’ vehicle, bursting the front tyres and forcing it to a halt. The attackers then dragged both men out of the car and marched them into the surrounding bushland at gunpoint. Eyewitnesses later reported hearing sporadic gunfire in the area, which further heightened local fears.
While in captivity, the businessman, Emmanuel Bibinu, managed to escape after an apparent distraction among the kidnappers. Exhausted and injured, he trekked to nearby Ikyior village, where a local hunter offered him refuge and contacted security operatives. Bibinu later recounted the ordeal to police, revealing that the kidnappers stole his Samsung Galaxy G10 smartphone—valued at over ₦1.7 million—and ₦83,000 in cash.
Engineer Joshua Saleh, however, remains in captivity, and the kidnappers have yet to establish any communication with his family or the authorities regarding ransom demands. Security agencies have launched a search operation in the forested area, but no major breakthroughs have been reported as of press time.
The brazen daylight attack has once again raised alarm over the worsening security situation along key roads in Taraba State. Residents and travelers are calling for increased surveillance, security patrols, and immediate government intervention to restore safety in the region.
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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, DAILY POST