The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Alhaji Yunusa Abu Ishaq, has been killed by gunmen during a kidnapping attack.
Ishaq was travelling in a commercial vehicle when gunmen attacked passengers along the Itobe–Ochadamu Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area on Thursday.
The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued in Lokoja on Friday.
The police said, “We have received reports of an armed attack along the Itobe–Ochadamu Expressway, particularly around Ojuwo Olijo in Ofu Local Government Area, on Thursday, 27 August 2026.
“The incident occurred at about 1700hrs when armed assailants emerged from the surrounding bush and opened sporadic fire at motorists. A blue Toyota Corolla, registration number GWA 636 CH, was subsequently found abandoned along the highway.”
According to the command, “The driver, identified as Hon. Ishaq Yunusa, was found dead in the vehicle, while another occupant was taken into the bush by the assailants.”
The police said the deceased was taken to Grimard Hospital, Anyigba, for an autopsy, while security personnel continued searching the surrounding forest for the abducted passenger and the attackers.
The Commissioner of Police in Kogi, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, ordered security forces to intensify operations along the affected route and bring those responsible to justice.
The command also urged motorists and residents in the area to remain alert and report suspicious movements to security agencies.
Meanwhile, the police said 11 people abducted in a separate attack along the Aloma–Egane Expressway on Wednesday have been rescued.
According to the police, gunmen blocked two buses near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction and abducted several passengers.
“Upon receipt of the distress call, the Divisional Police Officer, Ofu, led a joint security team to the scene, where two abandoned vehicles—a Peace Mass Transit white Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus—were recovered,” the police said.
The command added that 11 victims, including the drivers of the two buses, were rescued during the operation. Most of them were reportedly NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.
The police said the rescued victims were debriefed before being allowed to continue their journey, while operations continued to rescue other victims and arrest the attackers.
