The Kogi State Police Command has rescued 11 of the 15 National Youth Service Corps members abducted along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area on Wednesday, with security operatives still searching the surrounding forest for those remaining in captivity. The attack occurred on August 26 at approximately 4:40 pm near the Ogene Zaria junction, when armed men emerged from the bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions. Some passengers escaped into the surrounding bush during the attack, while others were taken. The two vehicles, a Peace Mass Transit white Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus, were recovered at the scene, abandoned.
Coordinated Rescue Operation
A joint security team led by the Divisional Police Officer for Ofu responded to a distress call and launched a coordinated bush-combing operation that led to the rescue of 11 victims, including both bus drivers. Police said preliminary debriefing confirmed that most of the rescued victims were corps members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja after completing their orientation programme. The rescued victims were debriefed and allowed to continue their journey. Four victims remain unaccounted for as the operation continues.
Ofu LGA Roads Under Repeated Attack
The attack is the second major kidnapping on Ofu LGA roads in less than a month. On August 9, commuters were abducted along the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe roads in the same local government area. Sixteen victims were eventually rescued after troops, the Navy, police, vigilantes and hunters engaged the abductors in a gun battle near Adumu in Dekina LGA. One local hunter was killed, and a police officer was injured in that operation.
Concerns Over Forest Corridors
The repeated incidents have raised concerns about the use of Kogi's forest corridors as cover for kidnapping operations targeting travellers on the state's major highways. The police said the joint security operation remains ongoing with the objectives of rescuing the remaining victims and arresting the perpetrators.
