NYSC-Bound Traveller Relives ₦50m Kidnap Nightmare in Kogi Forest

​EDO/KOGI — What was meant to be a joyous journey to national service turned into a harrowing descent into the shadow of death for Ibi Philip, a prospective National Youth Service Corps member. Philip has shared a chilling first-hand account of how he and 11 other passengers were ambushed, marched into a dense Kogi forest, and held captive for over a week by gunmen demanding millions in ransom.

​The ordeal began on September 30, 2026, when a Benue Links transit bus conveying Philip toward the NYSC orientation camp in Akure, Ondo State, was intercepted by heavily armed men around Ibilo in Edo State. While the driver and two occupants managed a miraculous escape, the remaining 12 passengers were rounded up and driven toward Okene in Kogi State.

​For days, the victims endured grueling treks across rugged savannah terrain, sleeping exposed on bare ground and rocks under severe downpours. Sustained on sparse rations of rice, beans, and occasional garri, the captives faced physical brutality from their captors. Philip recounted being severely beaten after a captor mistook him for a law enforcement officer because his residential address happened to be close to a police division.

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​Negotiations commenced on October 2, with the abductors placing initial demands at an astronomical ₦50 million per head. As families scrambled desperately to pool resources—facing little institutional support after transport authorities reportedly advised against direct communication—the demands were progressively beaten down to ₦30 million, ₦20 million, and eventually ₦10 million.

​Tensions peaked when the captors monitored a phone call and discovered families had only managed to gather a fraction of the targeted millions, resulting in violent reprisals. However, through intense sacrifices, asset sales, and relentless fundraising by relatives and well-wishers, a final ransom sum totaling ₦1.7 million was negotiated by October 6.

​The families were instructed to travel to Lokoja and subsequently Okene to deliver the cash. On October 8, following the delivery and verification of the money, the captives were ordered released. In a bizarre final twist to their nightmare, the gang leader handed each freed victim a paltry sum of ₦2,000 for travel logistics before forcing them to flee on foot toward safety.

​Reflecting on the traumatic encounter, Philip credited his survival to deep Christian faith, heavily leaning on scriptural passages to navigate a week where hope seemed entirely lost.