The government announced this in a statement by the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Muhammad Idris, on Monday.
Idris said on February 14 at about 2:50pm, information was received that a 56-seater bus of the Niger State Transport Authority with passengers from Minna to Kontagora ran into gunmen at Kundu village on Zungeru-Garin Gabas Road area of Rafi Local Government.
He said: “The state government has taken concrete security measures to ensure safe returns of the victims and to deal decisively with any person or group of people found wanting.
“We will ensure to rescue the victims and ensure such negative development does not occur in any part of the state.
“The state government appeal for calm among citizens, especially the relatives of the abducted persons.
“The state government appeal to all and sundry to help in providing required intelligence information that could assist security personnel to arrest and prosecute all those involved in the acts.”
According to a report published by The Eagle Online, 18 of the 56 passengers were abducted by the gunmen.