Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have killed the divisional chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Alhaji Yunusa Onu, in a fresh attack along the Itobe–Ochadamu Expressway.
The incident occurred on Thursday, August 27, 2026, around Ojuwo Olijo in Ofu Local Government Area of the state, as the APC chairman was returning from Lokoja, the state capital.
Sources familiar with the incident said the gunmen reportedly emerged from the surrounding bush and blocked the highway, forcing motorists to stop.
Onu, who was said to have attempted to escape by running into the bush, was reportedly shot by the attackers.
His body was later recovered and evacuated to Grimard Hospital, Anyigba, for autopsy.
Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Police Command said armed assailants attacked motorists along the Itobe–Ochadamu Expressway at about 5pm on Thursday.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, a blue Toyota Corolla, with registration number GWA 636 CH, was found abandoned along the highway.
She said the driver, identified as Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, was found dead in the vehicle, while another occupant was abducted into the bush by the attackers.
The Command, she said, had commenced a joint operation with other security agencies to comb the surrounding forests, rescue the abducted victim and apprehend the perpetrators.
Afusat said the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, psc, mni, had directed sustained operations to secure the affected corridor and bring the perpetrators to justice.
She urged motorists and residents along the route to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements to the Police and other security agencies.
Meanwhile, the Police Command has confirmed a separate abduction incident along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu LGA on Wednesday, August 26.
The incident occurred at about 4:40pm around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, when armed hoodlums reportedly emerged from the bush, blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions and abducted some passengers.
The police said some of the passengers escaped into the surrounding bush.
Following a 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.
The subsequent bush-combing and rescue operation led to the recovery of 11 abducted victims, including the drivers of the two buses.
Preliminary debriefing showed that most of the rescued victims were National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.
The rescued victims were debriefed and later allowed to continue their journey.
The Police said the operation remained ongoing in the surrounding forest to rescue the remaining victims, arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
The fresh attacks have heightened concerns over the security of major highways linking communities in Dekina, Ofu and neighbouring parts of Kogi State.
