Insecurity Deepens as Gunmen Abduct 15 NYSC Members in Kogi, Driver Killed

Gunmen attacked two buses carrying National Youth Service Corps members along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Wednesday, abducting 15 corps members and killing the driver of one of the vehicles. The victims were members of the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream II and had just completed their orientation programme at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. They were travelling to Abuja when the attackers struck.

The abduction occurred at about 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria–Onicha-Igo Junction. According to the Kogi State Police Command, armed hoodlums emerged from the bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions, abducting some passengers while others escaped into the surrounding bush.

A relative of one of the victims, Ayodele David, told the Foundation for Investigative Journalism that 16 people were listed on one of the bus manifests, but one corps member was transferred to another vehicle after the driver said the bus was full. The abductors reportedly spoke Fulfulde, Hausa and English.

The Kogi State Police Command confirmed that a joint security team responded to a distress call and recovered two abandoned vehicles: a white Peace Mass Transit Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus. The police said a coordinated bush-combing and rescue operation led to the rescue of 11 abducted victims, including the drivers of the two buses. Preliminary debriefing showed that most of the rescued victims were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja. The police said the operation is still ongoing in the surrounding forest to rescue the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators.

Families of the abducted corps members have expressed frustration and desperation. In a viral video, a lady identified as Chidimma was seen in tears, calling on the government, the NYSC and Nigerians to intervene and help secure the release of her sister. “My sister went to Bayelsa for NYSC three-week camp. After which she was posted to Niger State. She had planned to sleep over in Abuja and on the next day, Thursday, proceed to Niger State for her PPA,” the lady said. “On her way coming to Abuja, kidnappers attacked them. The driver was killed. My sister and the rest of the corps members were taken to the bush. Up till now, we have not heard anything”.

Another X user, identified as Chisom Ede, also claimed his sister was among the abductees. “Hello everyone, please, I urgently need your help and attention. My sister and other NYSC corps members who left Bayelsa State yesterday were attacked along the Kogi Express Road. Sadly, the driver was killed, and the corps members were reportedly taken into the forest,” he wrote. “Up until now, we have not heard from them, and the family is deeply worried and devastated. We have contacted the police, but unfortunately, we have not received any positive feedback yet”.

The abduction of 15 NYSC members in Kogi adds to a series of kidnapping attacks reported along Kogi’s highways and forest corridors in recent weeks. The incident has also sparked fresh outrage over the safety of corps members travelling across the country, with many Nigerians questioning why the NYSC continues to allow young graduates to travel through high-risk routes without adequate security escorts. As one X user put it: “They are killing the future of this country and nobody is saying anything.”

The NYSC, the Federal Government and security agencies have yet to provide a comprehensive update on the rescue operation. But for the families of the abducted corps members, every passing hour is a lifetime of agony.

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