The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed that armed gunmen abducted several National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja, and that 11 of the victims have been rescued.

The attack occurred last Wednesday along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area. 

Armed men emerged from the bush near Ogene Zaria, close to the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions. 

Some passengers were taken, while others fled into the surrounding bush.Police spokesperson ASP Salisu Oyiza Afusat said the Divisional Police Officer in Ofu led a joint security team to the scene after a distress call. 

Officers recovered two abandoned vehicles, a white Peace Mass Transit Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus, before launching a coordinated bush-combing and rescue operation.

The operation freed 11 people, including the drivers of both buses. Preliminary debriefing showed that most of the rescued victims were NYSC members returning from the orientation camp in Bayelsa. 

After being debriefed and completing necessary procedures, they were allowed to continue their journey.

Afusat said the joint security operation is still underway in the surrounding forests, with the goals of rescuing any remaining victims, apprehending the perpetrators and bringing them to justice. 

The command assured the public that all available operational and intelligence resources are being deployed to secure the area and recover those still held.

The police confirmation followed a viral video in which a woman, identifying herself as the sister of one of the abducted corps members, made an emotional appeal for help. 

She said her sister had completed the three-week NYSC orientation in Bayelsa and was travelling back to Abuja when the bus was attacked. 

The woman pleaded with the government, NYSC authorities and the public for their safe release, noting that the family had recently lost their mother. 

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