Tinubu Hails Security Forces As 21 Abducted In Kogi Regain Freedom

​President Bola Tinubu has expressed profound relief and joy following the successful rescue of 15 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and six other travelers who spent days in captivity after being ambushed by gunmen along a major transit corridor in Kogi State.

​The 21 victims—comprising eight males and thirteen females returning from the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State heading toward Abuja—were extricated on Monday afternoon from deep forest enclaves within the Ofu Local Government Area. Their freedom was secured through a meticulous, multi-agency search-and-rescue operation involving the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), and local vigilante units.

​Reacting via a statement issued by the presidency, President Tinubu lauded the tactical courage and seamless operational synergy displayed by the joint security operatives. He confirmed that the rescued corps members and fellow citizens were immediately subjected to comprehensive medical evaluations to stabilize them before their eventual reunion with anxious families.

​The harrowing ordeal began late Wednesday when armed men—reportedly emerging from the bush near the Ogene Zaria and Onicha-Igo junction along the Aloma-Egane Expressway—intercepted a white Peace Mass Transit Hummer bus and an 18-seater commercial vehicle. While some passengers managed to scatter into the surrounding brush during the initial attack, the outlaws marched the remaining 21 victims deep into the dense Egume-Ochaja forest, where captors subjected them to intense psychological and physical intimidation while demanding heavy ransoms.

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​Recounting the terrifying experience after their release, one of the rescued corps members revealed how the gunmen fired indiscriminately into the air, forcing them through grueling night marches under constant threats of execution.

​While celebrating the breakthrough, President Tinubu maintained that the government’s security offensive is far from concluded. He disclosed that security forces have been issued strict marching orders to maintain aggressive pressure, hunt down the fleeing remnants of the criminal syndicate, and dismantle local networks providing logistical support.

​Emphasizing a zero-tolerance stance against highway banditry, Tinubu warned that perpetrators and any domestic accomplices would face the absolute wrath of the law. He further reassured parents, guardians, and the general public that his administration remains unyieldingly committed to securing national transit corridors so that citizens can move freely across the federation without the constant shadow of apprehension or abduction.

​The military high command corroborated the success of the mission, noting that the operation forms part of a broader nationwide clampdown designed to choke out criminal safe havens and restrict the operational capabilities of bandits across vulnerable geopolitical transit routes.