Security operatives in Kogi State have rescued 11 abducted passengers, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), following an attack by armed men along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area.
The incident occurred on Wednesday around 4:40 p.m. near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction when gunmen emerged from nearby bushes, intercepted two commercial buses travelling in opposite directions, and forced several passengers into the forest.
Spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, Saliu Afusat, confirmed the development in a statement on Friday, stating that joint security forces responded to a distress call and launched an immediate search-and-rescue operation.
“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,” Afusat said.
Subsequent bush-combing operations by the team led to the rescue of 11 victims, comprising passengers and the drivers of both vehicles. Preliminary debriefing revealed that most of those rescued were NYSC members travelling to Abuja after completing their orientation course in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The police command noted that the rescued individuals have been cleared to continue their journey after debriefing.
While the exact number of victims initially abducted remains unconfirmed, security personnel have deployed operational and intelligence resources to locate any remaining hostages and track down the assailants.
