Several members of the National Youth Service Corps have been abducted by gunmen along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The incident occurred on Wednesday as the corps members were travelling from the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State towards Abuja and other destinations after completing their three-week orientation programme.
The Kogi State Police Command, however, said 11 victims had been rescued following a coordinated security operation launched shortly after the attack.
In a statement issued on Friday, the command’s spokesperson, Saliu Afusat, said the attackers emerged from a bush near Ogene Zaria, around the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, at about 4:40pm and intercepted two buses travelling in opposite directions.
According to the police, the gunmen abducted some passengers, while others managed to escape into the surrounding bush.
Following a distress call, the Divisional Police Officer in Ofu led a joint team of security personnel to the scene, where two abandoned buses—a Peace Mass Transit Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus—were recovered.
The command said security operatives subsequently launched a bush-combing operation that led to the rescue of 11 abducted persons, including the drivers of the two vehicles.
“Preliminary debriefing indicates that most of the rescued victims are NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja,” Afusat said.
She added that the rescued victims were debriefed and, after the necessary procedures, allowed to continue their journeys.
The police did not disclose the exact number of people abducted during the attack but said efforts were ongoing to locate and rescue those still in captivity.
The command said all available operational and intelligence resources had been deployed to secure the release of the remaining victims.
Families Seek Help
The abduction has triggered concerns from relatives of some of the affected corps members, with several people taking to social media to appeal for urgent intervention.
In a viral video, a woman identified as Chidimma appealed to the government, the NYSC and Nigerians to help rescue her sister, whom she said was among those abducted.
She said her sister had completed her NYSC orientation in Bayelsa and was posted to Niger State for her primary place of assignment.
According to her, the corps member planned to spend the night in Abuja before proceeding to Niger State when the attackers struck.
Chidimma alleged that the driver of the vehicle was killed during the attack, while her sister and other corps members were taken into the bush.
She said the family had yet to receive positive information about her sister’s whereabouts and appealed for urgent action to secure the victims’ release.
Another man, identified as Chisom Ede, also claimed that his sister was among the abducted corps members. He called on the NYSC, Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue those still being held.
Another social media user, @ddevilsworkshop, reportedly shared a list said to contain the names of passengers travelling in the Peace Mass Transit vehicle and alleged that the abductors were demanding N20 million as ransom.
The ransom claim could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report.
