Gunmen Kidnap NYSC Corps Members In Kogi [VIDEO]

Gunmen have abducted several members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, with law enforcement agencies confirming the rescue of 11 victims.

The corps members were traveling from the NYSC orientation camp situated in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State when armed assailants ambushed their vehicles.

In an official statement released on Friday, the spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, Saliu Afusat, stated that a rapid tactical response was triggered immediately after receiving distress signals.

She revealed that the swift security intervention resulted in the successful rescue of 11 kidnapped passengers, including the drivers of the two commercial buses involved in the ambush.

Preliminary debriefings conducted by security personnel confirmed that the majority of the rescued individuals were NYSC corps members traveling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.

According to Afusat, the violent attack took place around 4:40 pm near Ogene Zaria, close to the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, when heavily armed bandits burst out from surrounding thickets, intercepted two buses traveling in opposite directions, and dragged passengers into the forest.

“Upon receipt of the distress call, the Divisional Police Officer, Ofu, led a joint security team to the scene, where two abandoned vehicles — a Peace Mass Transit white Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus — were recovered,” she said.

She further explained that a heavily coordinated bush-combing and search-and-rescue drive was launched right away, leading directly to the location and rescue of the 11 victims.

Following security debriefs and necessary clearance procedures, the rescued travelers were permitted to resume their journeys.

The police authority did not specify the total number of passengers originally seized during the attack, as active operational efforts continue to confirm if any additional NYSC members remain in captivity.

Afusat assured the public that the police command and sister security agencies have deployed full operational and intelligence assets to track down the remaining bandits, secure the freedom of any held victims, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

See video below: