LOKOJA/ABUJA — Security forces on Monday, August 31, 2026, successfully rescued 21 people, including 15 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, from a kidnappers’ den in the forests of Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation in a personal statement, describing it as a “well-coordinated Search and Rescue (SAR) operation” carried out by a combined team of the military, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), and local vigilantes and hunters.
The victims — eight males and 13 females — were freed from the Egume and Ochaja forest stretch and are currently receiving medical attention before being reunited with their families.
The abduction occurred on Wednesday, August 26, around 4:40 p.m. Armed men emerged from the bush near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction along the Aloma–Egane (Itobe–Ajaokuta) highway in Ofu LGA.
They blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions. One vehicle carried corps members returning to Abuja after completing their orientation course at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State (believed to be members of the 2026 Batch B Stream II).
Passengers from the second vehicle were also seized. Some travellers escaped into the surrounding bush, while others were marched into the forest.
Kogi State Police Commissioner Naziru Kankarofi said a search-and-rescue operation began immediately, involving joint forces and local hunters familiar with the terrain. The operation intensified over the weekend.
On Monday afternoon, around 4 p.m., security personnel located the kidnappers’ camp in Egume Forest. A fierce gun battle ensued. Four suspected kidnappers were killed, while others fled with injuries. All remaining captives were freed.
Two victims sustained gunshot wounds to their right legs — one corps member and one civilian from the second vehicle. No fatalities were recorded among the abductees. Earlier partial rescues had freed 11 people (including the two drivers) in the days after the attack, with the final operation recovering the rest.
One of the rescued corps members, David Ayodele, recounted the ordeal in a video. He said the kidnappers flogged and kicked the victims, then threatened to keep them in the forest for a month before k!lling them.
Another survivor, Chukwuma Goodness Osnachi, said she ran into the bush after hearing gunshots but was captured and taken deeper into the forest.
The Defence Headquarters, through Major General Michael Onoja, Director of Defence Media Operations, also confirmed the rescue of the 21 victims (15 of them NYSC members) within the 2 Division area of operations.
The NYSC management, in a statement by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, expressed relief and thanked the Armed Forces, Police, DSS, Kogi vigilante groups, the Office of the National Security Adviser, and the Minister of Youth Development. It said the corps members were “in high spirits” and eager to resume at their places of primary assignment.
Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo hailed the operation as a demonstration of tactical excellence and inter-agency collaboration, warning that criminals “will always regret setting foot in Kogi State.”
President Tinubu directed security agencies to sustain pressure on the fleeing kidnappers and ensure those responsible face the full weight of the law. Efforts continue to apprehend the remaining suspects and clear the area of criminal elements.
The incident highlights ongoing security challenges on major highways in the North-Central region, particularly routes linking the South-South and the Federal Capital Territory.
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