11 NYSC members rescued after Kogi abduction, police say
The Kogi State Police Command says 11 people, including several National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, have been rescued after gunmen abducted passengers travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.
The victims were attacked on Wednesday, August 26, along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area, while returning from the NYSC orientation camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma, Bayelsa State. The attackers reportedly emerged from the bush and blocked two buses.
Police spokesperson ASP Saliu Afusat said a joint security team launched a bush-combing operation after receiving a distress call. Two abandoned buses were recovered, and the operation subsequently led to the rescue of 11 abducted victims, including the drivers of the two vehicles.
Earlier reports had indicated that 15 NYSC members were abducted, although police have not publicly confirmed that all 15 victims were corps members. The command said preliminary debriefing showed that most of those rescued were NYSC members.
Relatives of some victims had reportedly claimed that the kidnappers demanded ₦20 million for each abducted person. Police have not independently confirmed the ransom demand.
The police said the search operation is continuing in surrounding forests to locate any remaining victims and arrest those responsible.
The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of corps members travelling between orientation camps and their places of deployment, particularly along highways vulnerable to kidnapping. Previous investigations have documented numerous abductions involving NYSC members across Nigeria.
