Kogiflame
Armed men suspected to be bandits reportedly kidnapped seven travellers on Friday evening along the Itobe–Anyigba highway in Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State.
Similarly, suspected bandits on Friday stormed a family residence in Isanlu, Yagba East local government area of Kogi state, abducted a woman and her two children while the husband who tried to escaped was shots.
The victims were ambushed in the Ojuwo-Olijo forest, a known hotspot for criminal activities.
According to police reports, one female passenger managed to escape during the attack, providing a glimmer of hope amid the distressing situation.
The authorities have since mobilized security forces, including troops, police, and local vigilantes, to conduct bush combing operations aimed at rescuing the captives and tracking down the kidnappers.
This incident highlights the alarming trend of highways becoming hunting grounds for bandits, raising serious concerns about the safety of citizens across the nation.
The pervasive insecurity crisis has infiltrated various aspects of daily life in Nigeria, affecting farms, schools, and now major roads, leaving many feeling vulnerable and unsafe.
Local residents and travelers alike are expressing their fears as the situation continues to deteriorate.
The increasing frequency of such attacks has prompted calls for more robust security measures to protect citizens and restore safety on the nation’s highways.
As security forces intensify their efforts to locate the kidnapped individuals and apprehend the perpetrators, the community remains on high alert, hoping for a swift resolution to this distressing incident.
In another develolment, suspected bandits on Friday stormed a family residence in Isanlu in Yagba East local government area and abducted a woman and her two children while the husband who tried to escaped was shots.
It was reliably gathered that the husband in an attempt to avoid abduction was shot twice by the gunmen.
The attack according to a member of Kogi State Vigilante agency happened in Isanlu, headquarters of Yagba East local government of Kogi state.
The source said, “one Tokpe Gody at Bareke-Egbe in Yagba West was attacked by unknown gunmen in their family house at about 2am Friday morning and abducted his wife and two children.
While medical personnel in Egbe Hospital are trying to save the live of the husband who escaped with bullet wounds, the kidnappers are said to be demanding a ransom of N100m from the family for the release of the wife and two children.
According to a member of the Kogi state Vigilante management agency who pleaded anonymity said, “One of us recieved calls from the kidnappers this morning, they used one private number to call us, they asked for N100 million before they will release the victims”
The local security source hinted that the health condition of Tokpe in the hospital was very critical and might require to taken to Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH) Lokoja.
The bandits have sustained their invasion of Okun land almost on daily basis within the last five months counting from May when the paramount ruler of Okeloke was abducted.
The heavily armed bandits operating in Okun land have no mercy or regards for security agencies as they have killed a numbers of policemen and local vigilantes in the locality.
However, the Kogi State Command is yet to issue statements on the two kidnapped incidents as the Police Public Relations Officer SP William Ayah of the Command can’t be reach as at the time of filling this report.
