Get Guardian on GoogleGunmen suspected to be kidnappers abducted over 13 persons, including traders and travellers, in separate attacks across Kogi State on Wednesday, 4 March, and early Thursday, 5 March, 2026. The incidents also left two people dead.
An eyewitness reported that early Thursday morning, traders from Kogi East travelling to Obolo-Affor market in Enugu State were intercepted at Egabada in Idah Local Government Area. The driver, conductor, and a female passenger were seized and taken into the forest.
Earlier on Wednesday, kidnappers attacked Okabo community in Ofu Local Government Area, killing one person and abducting another adult and a minor.
In a separate incident, another group of gunmen mounted a blockade on the federal highway between Ogbakpedo and Okabo along the Itobe–Anyigba road. Two commercial vehicles were intercepted, and all occupants—including two pregnant women—were forced into the bush. The kidnappers later released the pregnant women but made away with eight victims.
The leadership of the Kogi East Neighborhood Watch (KENW) expressed alarm over the spate of kidnappings in the past two weeks. “Kidnapping cases are occurring almost daily. We are overwhelmed and urgently need reinforcement to comb the forests and secure the release of the victims. This can only be achieved with support from the state government,” they said.
Attempts to reach the Kogi State Police Command for confirmation were unsuccessful, and the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, could not be reached.
Meanwhile, amid rising security concerns, the Chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area, Mr. Tosin Olokun, has imposed an indefinite dusk-to-dawn curfew across communities in the area to curb kidnappings and other criminal activities.
