The Kogi State Police Command has rescued 11 passengers, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who were abducted along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of the state.
The victims were freed following a coordinated rescue operation launched after armed men ambushed two buses on the highway.
The attack occurred at about 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, near Ogene Zaria, around the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction.
Police said the assailants emerged from the surrounding bush, blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions, and forced several passengers into the forest at gunpoint. Other passengers reportedly escaped into the bush during the confusion.
Following a distress call, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ofu mobilised a joint security team to the scene, where two abandoned vehicles were recovered — a white Hummer bus belonging to Peace Mass Transit and a yellow 18-seater bus.
Security operatives thereafter launched a bush-combing and rescue operation in the surrounding forest, which led to the rescue of all 11 abducted victims, including the drivers of both buses.
Preliminary debriefing revealed that most of the rescued victims were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja for national assignment.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, said the command had deployed all available operational and intelligence resources to secure the area and ensure the safe recovery of the victims.
“The victims were debriefed and, after completing the necessary procedures, were allowed to continue their journey,” she said.
Afusat added that security operations were continuing in the forest as operatives intensified efforts to locate any remaining victims and track down the attackers.
She assured residents and travellers along the route that the command remained committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice, noting that further updates would be released as developments unfold.
