The Kogi State Police Command has rescued fifteen people abducted along the Itobe–Anyigba Highway in Ofu Local Government Area, following a fierce shootout with their captors that left one vigilante member dead and a police officer wounded.
The victims were seized on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at about 4:00 p.m., when gunmen intercepted a Peace Mass Transit bus between Ojuwo Ajengo and Mamerebo — a stretch of the Itobe–Achigili corridor long identified as a kidnapping hotspot.
The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, ordered the immediate deployment of tactical and intelligence assets as soon as the abduction was reported, launching a manhunt to locate the victims and their abductors.
The rescue effort brought together the Police, military personnel of the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), local vigilante groups and other auxiliary forces.
According to a statement signed by ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, Police Public Relations Officer, Kogi State Police Command, tracking the kidnappers to their hideout triggered an intense exchange of gunfire. Security operatives said several of the assailants were neutralised in the encounter, while others escaped into the surrounding terrain. A local vigilante member supporting the operation was killed, and one police officer sustained gunshot injuries.
Despite the resistance, operatives fought through to the kidnappers’ position and recovered all fifteen victims unharmed. The rescued group includes two officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), along with twelve adults and three children in total. They are now being moved out of the operational area to safety.
The Rescued Victims were: CRC I. Ibe – FRSC personnel, SRC Ik. Ukandu – FRSC personnel, Josephbah, Joshua Daniel, Joy Ogbu, Chigocife Ogbu, Charity Aneebo, Ngozi Stephin, Somaliya Zegu, Chidera Emanuel, and Pamela Oraeto.
Other were: Abakwam Loveth, Chimereze Nekuma, Chibok Nzekwu and Victor Edozi Anyichie
Police spokesperson said further details of the incident will be released once the victims have been safely returned and operational procedures are completed.
The Command said efforts are ongoing to track down the kidnappers who fled the scene, with tactical and intelligence-driven operations continuing in the area to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Beyond this operation, the Kogi State Police Command disclosed that three other coordinated security operations are currently underway at separate locations across the state, as part of a broader push to disrupt criminal activity and protect residents.
The Command has urged members of the public to stay vigilant and continue supplying timely, credible information to aid ongoing security operations, reaffirming its commitment to protecting lives and property across Kogi State.
