Dramatic Rescue: 11 NYSC Members Freed After Kogi Abduction

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

The victims, including the drivers of two buses, were kidnapped on Wednesday, August 26, after armed men ambushed the vehicles near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction. Some passengers escaped into the surrounding bush, while others were taken captive before a joint security team responded to the distress call and recovered the abandoned vehicles.

Police subsequently launched a coordinated bush-combing and rescue operation that led to the recovery of the 11 victims, most of whom were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja after completing their orientation programme.

Following debriefing and necessary procedures, the rescued victims were allowed to continue their journeys. However, police confirmed that some abductees remain in captivity, prompting security agencies to continue operations aimed at rescuing them and arresting the perpetrators.

The rescue followed earlier reports that as many as 15 NYSC members had been abducted, with relatives appealing for urgent government intervention. The incident also adds to a troubling pattern of highway kidnappings across Kogi, particularly in Ofu, where another attack on commuters earlier in August resulted in 16 people being rescued after a gun battle between security forces and abductors.

The repeated attacks have intensified concerns over the use of forests and major transit routes in the state as kidnapping corridors, placing renewed pressure on security agencies to strengthen protection along vulnerable highways.