Armed assailants have kidnapped nine individuals, including a mother and her three children, in a brazen early morning raid on a Kogi State community.
Details of the Attack
The incident took place in Inele-Ugoh village, within the Igah Ikeje community of Olamaboro Local Government Area. More than forty gunmen invaded the area in the early hours of Friday, December 19, 2025.
The woman and her children were intercepted while traveling to a burial ceremony in a neighboring community. They were forcefully taken into a nearby forest. Separately, five other villagers were abducted from their farms during the same coordinated attack.
Security Response and Challenges
An eyewitness reported that the sheer number of attackers and their sophisticated weaponry deterred local vigilante groups from engaging them. The community immediately alerted soldiers from the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army stationed at a nearby checkpoint.
However, the troops arrived after the kidnappers had already escaped with their victims into the forest. A joint search operation involving the military and local vigilantes is currently underway in the surrounding wooded areas.
Plea for Aerial Support
Residents and security sources have expressed deep concern over the limitations of the ground search. A community police source revealed that the criminal gang is known for operating in large numbers, sometimes up to 200, and frequently moving captives between locations to avoid detection.
"Ground troops alone may not succeed without aerial support. Drones or police helicopters from Lokoja are needed to flush them out," the source stated, adding grimly, "We will not enjoy Christmas if these criminals remain in our forests."
Growing Menace in the Region
Members of the Kogi East Neighbourhood Watch confirmed that kidnappers have intensified operations in Olamaboro communities recently. They believe the gunmen are infiltrating from neighboring states.
Another resident described the attackers as increasingly audacious and desperate, operating without fear both day and night. The community is now urgently calling on both state and federal authorities to deploy more security personnel and, critically, provide aerial surveillance to track the kidnappers' movements and rescue the victims.
