Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Kogi State was thrown into renewed panic on Saturday after terrorists launched a fresh attack along the Isanlu Makutu–Idofin highway in Yagba East Local Government Area, forcing residents and travellers to flee for safety amid fears of mass abductions.
Eyewitnesses said the gunmen struck suddenly in the afternoon, ambushing commuters and sending surrounding communities into lockdown. Security operatives have been mobilised to the area, but the exact number of abducted victims remains unknown as details are stilll emerging.
This latest assault comes barely days after Kogi experienced another major attack in which about 100 heavily armed men ambushed several vehicles, attempting mass kidnappings. In that earlier incident, security forces rescued 21 passengers — including women and a nine-day-old baby — following a fierce exchange of gunfire that claimed the lives of a soldier and a vigilante.
Multiple vehicles were targeted in the previous ambush, among them a Toyota Sienna heading from Osogbo to Kaduna, two Toyota Hiace buses travelling to Abuja and Ekiti, a Toyota Carina bound for Kabba, a Dangote cement truck, and a J5 bus carrying pepper. Many passengers fled into nearby bushes as gunmen tried to seize them in groups.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama confirmed that a combined team of the Nigerian Army, Quick Response Unit, NSCDC, vigilantes and local hunters successfully intervened to rescue the captives. The rescued individuals included Moses Oladimeji, Adele Jacob, Obed Onche, Jemima Joseph, nine-day-old Deborah Enenche and several others.
However, with Saturday’s fresh attack, concerns are rising that Kogi’s highways are becoming increasingly unsafe, raising urgent questions over how terrorists are able to strike repeatedly despite recent reinforcements in the state.
As security agencies respond to the new incident, residents and travellers are demanding stronger, sustained action to prevent what appears to be a spiralling wave of violent road ambushes across the region.
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