Eleven people, including several members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), have been rescued after gunmen attacked travellers along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The victims were travelling from the NYSC orientation camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State towards Abuja when the attackers struck on Wednesday, August 26.
The Kogi State Police Command said the incident occurred at about 4:40 p.m. around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction. Details of the rescue operation
According to the police, armed men emerged from the surrounding bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions before abducting some of the passengers. Other passengers managed to escape into the bush.
Security operation leads to rescue
The police said a distress call prompted the Divisional Police Officer in Ofu to mobilise a joint security team to the scene.
Two abandoned vehicles were recovered, a white Peace Mass Transit Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus.
Security personnel subsequently launched a coordinated search operation in the surrounding bush, leading to the rescue of 11 abducted victims, including the drivers of the two buses.
The police said preliminary debriefing showed that most of those rescued were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.
The rescued victims were debriefed and, after the necessary procedures, were allowed to continue their journey.
What remains unclear
While reports initially indicated that as many as 15 NYSC members may have been abducted, the police statement did not independently confirm the exact number of people seized.
The command instead said its operation remained ongoing in the surrounding forest to locate and rescue any remaining victims and apprehend those responsible for the attack.
That distinction is important because the confirmed position from the police is that 11 people have been rescued, while the number of people still missing has not been officially established.
Earlier reports from relatives of alleged victims had raised concerns about the safety of corps members returning to Abuja after completing their orientation programme. However, claims about the identities of the attackers and ransom demands have not been independently established and should therefore be treated cautiously.
A wider highway security concern
The attack adds to continuing concerns over the safety of travellers using highways and forest corridors in Kogi State.
The Aloma-Egane route connects communities through an area where security operations can be complicated by surrounding forests, providing attackers with potential escape routes after highway assaults.
The latest incident also raises questions about the security arrangements for young Nigerians travelling between states after completing compulsory NYSC orientation programmes.
For corps members, the journey from orientation camp to their places of primary assignment is a routine part of national service. Yet incidents such as this demonstrate how vulnerable travellers can become when security threats emerge along major inter-state routes.
What happens next?
The immediate priority remains the recovery of anyone still unaccounted for and the arrest of the attackers.
The Kogi Police Command says it is deploying available operational and intelligence resources to the area and will communicate further developments as the operation progresses.
For families waiting for information about their relatives, the rescue of 11 victims provides relief.
