11 NYSC members rescued after Kogi abduction

The Kogi State Police Command says it has rescued 11 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other passengers abducted along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s spokesperson, Saliu Afusat, disclosed this in a statement issued in response to a press inquiry, saying the victims were rescued during a search operation by security officers following Wednesday’s attack.

The incident occurred on 26 August at about 4:40 p.m. near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, when armed men emerged from the bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions.

According to the police, some passengers escaped into the surrounding bush while others were abducted.

“Upon receipt of the distress call, the Divisional Police Officer, Ofu, led a joint security team to the scene, where two abandoned vehicles, a Peace Mass Transit white Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus, were recovered,” the statement said.

The command subsequently launched a coordinated bush-combing and rescue operation around the area.

The operation led to the rescue of 11 victims, including the drivers of the two buses, according to the police.

“Preliminary debriefing indicates that most of the rescued victims are NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja,” the police said.

The rescued victims were debriefed and, after necessary procedures, allowed to continue their journey.

However, the police said some victims remained in captivity as security operatives continued searching the surrounding forest.

“The joint security operation remains ongoing in the surrounding forest with the primary objectives of rescuing the remaining victims, apprehending the perpetrators and bringing them to justice,” the command said.

The development followed an earlier report that 15 NYSC members had been abducted while returning to Abuja after completing their orientation programme in Bayelsa State.

A relative of one of the victims had told the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) that the corps members were travelling in two buses when they were attacked along the Ofu/Itobe-Onicha-Igo axis.

The relative said one of the victims, Ayodele David, was among those abducted. He also said the driver of the Peace Mass Transit bus was left behind after sustaining injuries during the attack.

The police confirmation provides further details on the incident and places the attack along the Aloma-Egane Expressway, around the Ogene Zaria area of Ofu LGA.

The attack is the latest in a series of kidnapping incidents reported along Kogi’s highways in August.

On 9 August, security agencies reported the abduction of commuters along the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe roads in Ofu LGA. The Nigerian Army subsequently said 16 victims were rescued after troops, working with the Navy, police, vigilantes and hunters, engaged their abductors in a gun battle near Adumu in Dekina LGA.

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One local hunter was killed during that operation, while a police officer sustained injuries.

The latest incident again occurred in Ofu, an area where security agencies have carried out several rescue operations in recent weeks.

The repeated attacks have heightened concerns about the use of Kogi’s forest corridors and major roads as routes for kidnapping operations.

The police said the current search operation remains ongoing as security personnel work to locate the remaining victims and arrest the attackers.