Security Forces Save 16 Kidnap Victims in Kogi State

Nigerian Army-led security forces have saved 16 people who were taken by suspected kidnappers in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

Appolonia Anele, Acting Director Army Public Relations, shared this news in a statement on Monday.

Ms Anele said the victims were freed after troops from the Nigerian Army teamed up with the Navy, police, local vigilantes, and hunters to fight their abductors.

The victims were taken on Sunday, 9 August, when armed men attacked commuters on the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe roads in Ofu Local Government Area.

According to the army, the troops of the 21 Battalion and personnel from the Nigerian Navy Ship Lugard started a search-and-rescue operation after they learned that the victims were moved towards Adumu in Dekina Local Government Area.

The joint team then met the fleeing kidnappers and got into a gun battle with them.

“The criminals abandoned all their captives and escaped into the nearby forest with gunshot wounds,” Ms Anele said.

The rescued victims included six adult males, six adult females, and four children. They are now being documented and checked for medical needs before going back to their families.

The army reported that one local hunter died during the operation, and a police officer got injured and is now receiving treatment.

This rescue comes as security operations have stepped up across Kogi due to a rise in kidnapping cases in the state.

On 9 August, the Kogi Police Command said its officers saved 15 kidnap victims after a gun battle with their captors along the Itobe-Anyigba Highway in Ofu Local Government Area.

This incident took place around 4 p.m. between Ojuwo Ajengo and Mamerebo, an area the police called a kidnapping hotspot.

The latest army report says 16 victims were rescued in this operation.

This development follows increased security efforts in other areas of the state.

On 8 August, the Kogi Police Command reported that it had sent a joint team to forests and suspected hideouts around the Okene-Ajaokuta area after a kidnapping incident along the Okene-Auchi Road.

The operation included the police’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Violent Crime Response Unit, mobile police personnel, and the Nigerian Army, with help from the Edo State Police Command near the Kogi-Edo border.

The ongoing attacks have raised worries about criminal groups using forested and border areas as hiding spots and escape routes.

The army credited the latest rescue to sharing information and teamwork between security bodies and local security groups.

They urged residents to stay alert and report any suspicious activities to security agencies.

This latest operation comes less than a month after security forces conducted several rescue missions for abducted residents and students in Kogi.

On 16 July, the Kogi State Government announced the rescue of a secondary school principal, a NECO official, and two students who were taken during an attack on an examination centre in Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area.

The government stated that the victims were rescued after security forces heavily searched the surrounding forest and kept pressure on the kidnappers.

The renewed operations highlight the ongoing security issues in Kogi, especially along major roads and forest paths where armed groups have repeatedly attacked travelers and communities.