Gunmen have abducted a former accountant general of Cross River State, Rose Bassey.

She was abducted with three others on Tuesday at the Uyanga axis of the Calabar-Ikom Highway.

The gunmen, who laid siege to that axis on the busy highway, shot at motorists and forced them to a halt.

A popular evangelist in the state, Edim Omin, was shot during the attack.

The evangelist, who escaped with bullet wounds, is said to be receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in the state.

Police spokesperson in Cross River, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the Tuesday incident. She said the police were working to get the four abducted people released unharmed.

Ugbo, a superintendent of police, said the police were also working hard to see that normalcy returns to that axis of the highway.

“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 himself,” she stated.

The Uyanga-Ikomita axis of the Calabar-Ikom Highway has become notorious for kidnapping in the past two months.

At least 20 persons, including two medical doctors in the state, have been abducted in that axis of the highway.

The abduction of the medical doctors led to industrial action by the Cross River State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association which demanded their release.

The latest abduction is coming barely 24 hours after police in the state said they had deployed a tactical team, including Anti-Cultism and Kidnapping Squads, to safeguard motorists and commuters on the highway.

NAN