No less tah three people were reportedly killed and nine others abducted after gunmen ambushed a group of traders travelling along the Ankpa-Adoka-Makurdi federal road in Kogi State, family members and community sources said.
The victims were mostly traders from the Ajobe community in Ojoku district, Ankpa Local Government Area, returning home from the popular Nkwo Idoko market in Awo when the attack occurred in the evening. They were travelling together in a pick-up van along the deteriorated federal highway when they ran into an active operation by armed men.
According to Yakubu Ishyaku, a relative of one of the victims, some passengers attempted to flee on foot after spotting the gunmen, but were unable to escape. “The assailants opened fire on the fleeing passengers, killing three on the spot while many others sustained gunshot injuries,” Ishyaku said.
He said three people — two men and one woman — died in the attack and were buried on Friday according to Islamic rites.
Nine other people from the Ajobe community, including Ishyaku’s late elder brother’s wife, were seized by the gunmen and taken to an unknown location, he said. He added that the kidnappers made contact with a relative of one of the abducted victims in the nearby Okaba community on Friday evening, demanding a ransom of N20 million for each captive before the call was cut off.
“They demanded N20 million for each of the victims in their custody before switching off the phone,” Ishyaku said. “Since then we have not been able to reach them through that line.”
Mrs. Achenetu Akubo, whose sister and niece were among those abducted, appealed for the immediate and unconditional release of all the captives. She said her sister, Mariam, was kidnapped along with her daughter during the attack, and that their captors are demanding N40 million for the pair’s release.
Akubo raised particular concern for her sister’s health, noting that Mariam did not have her medication with her when she was taken. “My sister did not go to the market with her drugs, and we fear that her condition will get worse if she is not released on time,” she said.
The attack adds to a pattern of insecurity along the Ankpa-Adoka-Makurdi federal road, a route connecting Kogi and Benue states that residents and commuters have long described as poorly maintained and vulnerable to armed groups. Traders and travellers frequently use the corridor to reach markets such as Nkwo Idoko in Awo, despite recurring reports of banditry and kidnapping in the area.
As of the time of this report, the whereabouts of the nine abducted community members remained unknown, and efforts by relatives to re-establish contact with the kidnappers had not succeeded. No arrests have been reported in connection with the attack, and it is not yet clear whether security operatives have responded to the scene or launched a search operation.
Families of the victims say they remain in a state of anguish as they await word from the abductors, with mounting concern over the wellbeing of those in captivity — particularly Mariam, whose family fears her medical condition may worsen the longer she remains without treatment.
Authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the incident.
