Police Rescue 11 After NYSC Members Abducted Along Kogi Highway

By Opeyemi Adelakun

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of passengers, mostly National Youth Service Corps members, along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

The victims were travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja when armed men reportedly emerged from the bush and intercepted two buses along the highway.

The incident occurred on Wednesday around the Ogene Zaria area, close to the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction.

Confirming the development on Friday, the police said 11 abducted passengers had been rescued following a coordinated operation involving security personnel.

The command’s spokesperson, ASP Salisu Oyiza Afusat, said the Ofu Divisional Police Officer mobilised a joint security team after receiving a distress call about the attack.

According to her, security operatives recovered two abandoned vehicles at the scene — a white Hummer bus belonging to Peace Mass Transit and a yellow 18-seater bus.

She said the discovery prompted a wider search of the surrounding forest, leading to the rescue of the victims.

“Most of the rescued victims are NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja,” Afusat said, adding that the drivers of both vehicles were also among those rescued.

The police spokesperson said the victims were debriefed before being permitted to continue their journey after the necessary procedures had been completed.

She added that security personnel were still conducting operations in the surrounding forest in an effort to locate any other victims and arrest those responsible for the attack.

The command assured residents and travellers that security and intelligence resources were being deployed to the area to restore safety and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The police confirmation followed an emotional appeal by a woman who identified herself as the sister of one of the abducted corps members.

In a video that circulated online, the woman said her sister had travelled to Bayelsa State for the mandatory three-week NYSC orientation programme and was returning to Abuja when the vehicle she was travelling in was attacked.

She appealed to the Federal Government, NYSC authorities and members of the public to assist in securing the safe return of those still in captivity.

The woman also disclosed that her family had recently lost their mother, saying the abduction had compounded the family’s difficulties.