Police Rescue 11 NYSC Members, Passengers After Kogi Highway Ambush

Police Rescue 11 NYSC Members, Passengers After Kogi Highway Ambush

​LOKOJA — The Kogi State Police Command has successfully rescued eleven abducted individuals, predominantly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), following a violent highway ambush along the Aloma–Egane road in the Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

​According to a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, the incident unfolded at approximately 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26. Heavily armed men operating from the forested corridors surrounding Ogene Zaria—near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction—intercepted two passenger buses travelling in opposite directions. While a number of passengers managed to escape into the dense surrounding brush, several others were forcibly marched into the forest by the assailants.

​Prompted by a distress call, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Ofu swiftly mobilized a joint security team to the scene. Operatives recovered two abandoned vehicles: a white Hummer bus belonging to Peace Mass Transit and a yellow 18-seater commercial bus.

​A rigorous, coordinated bush-combing and rescue operation was immediately set in motion, culminating in the safe recovery of eleven victims, including the drivers of both hijacked buses. Preliminary debriefing procedures conducted by the police revealed that the majority of the rescued passengers were corps members returning from the NYSC orientation camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, en route to Abuja before proceeding to their primary assignment postings. Following proper administrative and medical debriefing, the rescued individuals were cleared to continue their journeys.

​However, security forces remain on high alert as operations continue inside the expansive forest belt to track down the remaining hostages and apprehend the fleeing perpetrators.

​Separate Expressway Attack Claims Driver’s Life

​In an unrelated security breach within the same local government area, the Kogi State Police Command has launched a manhunt following a deadly armed attack along the Itobe–Ochadamu Expressway.

​The incident occurred around 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 27, near Ojuwo Olijo in Ofu LGA. Armed bandits suddenly emerged from the bush canopy and opened direct fire on oncoming motorists.

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​A blue Toyota Corolla bearing registration number GWA 636 CH was subsequently found riddled with bullets and abandoned on the highway. The driver was discovered dead inside the vehicle, while another occupant was abducted and dragged into the surrounding forest by the gunmen.

​The Kogi State Commissioner of Police has reiterated the command’s resolve, stating that police tactical units are working hand-in-glove with sister security agencies and local vigilante networks. Joint patrols and aggressive forest-combing operations are currently underway to rescue the remaining captive and bring those responsible for the highway violence to justice.