Armed robbers, numbering about eight, in the early hours of Wednesday, September 4, 2024, attacked two vehicles along the Ife-Osu Highway in Osun State.
In the course of the attack, the armed robbers shot one of the drivers and raped a female passenger.
A passenger in one of the two vehicles involved, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, stated that the incident occurred between Ife and Osu communities in Osun State.
According to him, the robbers stopped the commercial bus coming from Lagos and a private car, ordered the passengers to disembark and collected various sums of money from them.
“The robbers attacked two vehicles: a bus and one private car. I was travelling on the bus. Both vehicles were coming from Lagos. We were out of Ife but yet to reach the Osu community when our vehicles were stopped by the robbers. They were about eight in number and they carried guns.
“The driver of the bus was shot, but he didn’t die. He was injured. One of the passengers in the car, a woman was raped. They collected the money we had and our ATM cards. They made us transfer various amounts into their account. They later handed our cards to one of the gang members.
“But some passengers fled into the bush while all that was going on. Some people wandering in the area saw that robbers were operating nearby and security men were mobilised to the area,” the passenger was quoted as saying.
Shortly after the robbers departed, the source reported seeing police, vigilantes, and personnel in Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service uniforms arriving to search the area.
One of the robbers, according to him, was apprehended and taken into custody.
Confirming this development, Osun State acting Police Public Relations Officer ((PPRO), Emmanuel Giwa-Alade said a suspect had been arrested in connection with the incident.