A newlywed couple, identified as Funmilayo Bamidele and her husband, Reverend Abiodun David, have been abducted by suspected bandits along the Iyemero-Eruku road linking Kwara and Kogi states.

The couple were reportedly kidnapped alongside four other passengers on Saturday evening while returning from their engagement ceremony in Eruku.

Sources said the vehicle was initially expected to travel through the Isanlu route, but the driver reportedly opted for a back road to drop off the Best Man and other members of the group at Iyamoye in Kogi State.

It was gathered that the vehicle ran into the armed men along the Iyemero-Eruku road, where the occupants were intercepted and taken into the bush.

A photograph of the newlywed couple has since emerged following the incident, as concerns mount over their safety and that of the other abducted passengers.

Confirming the incident, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said security operatives had launched a search operation to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.

Ojo said soldiers were already combing the surrounding bush in an effort to locate the abductors and secure the release of the victims.

He also disclosed that the vehicle conveying the victims was found parked at an abandoned police station in Ayetoro, Ekiti State.

According to him, police operatives from the three states affected by the incident are working together on the rescue operation because the abduction occurred around the border communities linking Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti states.

The commissioner said, “Soldiers are already in the bush combing it to fish out the perpetrators and free the couple.”

He added that security agencies across the affected states were coordinating efforts to ensure the safe rescue of the victims.

As of press time, the exact whereabouts of the abducted couple and the other passengers remained unknown, while security operatives continued their search for the victims and the suspected abductors.