Fifteen National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have reportedly been abducted by gunmen along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The corps members were attacked on Wednesday while travelling to Abuja after completing their orientation at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
A relative of one of the victims, who spoke with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), said the corps members were travelling in two buses when the gunmen attacked.
“According to a police officer who contacted us later that night, the incident occurred around Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State, along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis,” he told FIJ.
The victims reportedly included passengers in a Peace Mass Transit bus and another bus marked 564. The driver of the Peace Mass Transit bus was left behind after sustaining injuries and was later taken to hospital.
“From the explanation of the driver, who was badly injured, 15 passengers were kidnapped even though 16 people were listed on the manifest,” the relative said.
He added that the attackers reportedly spoke Fulfulde, Hausa and English, although the victims’ families could not independently establish their identities.
A video from the scene reportedly showed the attackers shooting at the vehicles before abducting the passengers.
As of the time of filing the report, the identities of the attackers and whether a ransom had been demanded could not be independently verified. Efforts to obtain comments from the Kogi State Police Command and Peace Mass Transit were also unsuccessful.
The incident comes amid a series of recent kidnapping attacks along Kogi’s highways and forest corridors, raising concerns over the safety of travellers in the state.
