The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja, disclosing that 11 victims have been rescued while security operatives continue a search operation for others still being held by the attackers.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The police confirmation followed an earlier report that 15 NYSC members were allegedly abducted by armed bandits while returning to Abuja after completing their orientation programme in Bayelsa State.
In a statement issued in response to a press inquiry, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kogi State Command, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, said the attackers emerged from the bush around Ogene Zaria, close to the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, at about 4:40pm.
According to the police, the hoodlums blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions before abducting some of the passengers, while others managed to escape into the surrounding bush.
The command said that following a distress call, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ofu led a joint security team to the scene.
Two abandoned vehicles were subsequently recovered at the scene — a white Hummer bus belonging to Peace Mass Transit and a yellow 18-seater bus.
The police said a coordinated bush-combing and rescue operation was immediately launched in the surrounding forest in an effort to locate the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The operation eventually resulted in the rescue of 11 abducted persons, including the drivers of the two buses.
The rescued victims were taken through debriefing and other necessary procedures before they were allowed to continue their journey.
The police said preliminary debriefing showed that most of the rescued victims were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.
However, the command did not indicate that all the victims initially reported missing had been rescued, saying security personnel were still combing the surrounding forest for those who remained in captivity.
“The joint security operation remains ongoing in the surrounding forest with the primary objectives of rescuing the remaining victims, apprehending the perpetrators and bringing them to justice,” the command stated.
The incident had earlier triggered concern after a relative of one of the abducted corps members raised an alarm and appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the victims.
In a video seen by SaharaReporters, the relative said her sister had travelled to Bayelsa State for the NYSC orientation programme and was subsequently posted to Niger State for her Place of Primary Assignment (PPA).
She explained that her sister was travelling back from Bayelsa to Abuja, intending to spend the night in the Federal Capital Territory before proceeding to Niger State to report at her PPA.
According to her, the corps member and other NYSC members were attacked along the route, with the driver reportedly killed before the victims were taken into the bush.
“My sister went to Bayelsa State for the NYSC camp. After the NYSC camp, she was posted. She was posted to Niger State. On her way coming back from Bayelsa State to Abuja, she was coming back to spend the day in Abuja. So the next day, she was going out of the house. She was going to Niger State to report for her PPA,” she said.
She added that the vehicle carrying the corps members came under attack, after which the kidnappers took her sister and other corps members into the bush.
“My sister and the rest of the corps members were taken to the bush. Up to now, we have not heard anything. The police are not giving us any positive feedback,” she said in the appeal made before the latest rescue operation.
The relative called on the NYSC, police, military, Federal Government and other relevant security agencies to urgently intervene.
“NYSC should do something. The government should do something. The police force should do something. The Air Force should do something. They should do something,” she appealed.
The latest development represents the first official confirmation from the Kogi State Police Command regarding the reported attack and abduction.
While 11 victims have now been rescued, uncertainty remains over the exact number of persons still in captivity as the joint security operation continues.
The police command assured residents and travellers within the affected area that available operational and intelligence resources were being deployed to secure the area, rescue any remaining victims and track down those responsible for the attack.
The command further maintained that the ongoing operation would continue until the remaining victims were located and the perpetrators apprehended and brought to justice.