Rose Bassey, a former accountant-general of Cross River, and three others have been kidnapped on the Uyanga axis of the Calabar-Ogoja highway.
They were abducted by gunmen who laid siege on the highway on Tuesday, shooting at motorists to force them to stop.
A famous evangelist in the state, Edim Edim Omin, was shot but escaped with bullet wounds.
The incident came barely 24 hours after the police command in Cross River said it had deployed a tactical team, including Anti-Cultism and Kidnapping Squads, to the axis to protect motorists and commuters.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the police in Cross River, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the attack and said the police were working to rescue the kidnapped unhurt.
“It is a sad reality for us, and as I speak with you, the commissioner of police is heading to that axis to assess the situation of things himself,” she stated.
The Uyanga-Ikomita axis of the Calabar-Ogoja highway has become a hotspot for kidnappers in the past two months.
No fewer than 20 people, including two medical doctors, have been kidnapped.
The abduction of the doctors led members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Cross River to go on strike, demanding their release.
(NAN)
