Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
On Sunday afternoon, December 7, 2025, armed bandits struck along the Odo-Ogbe axis in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, abducting four travellers in a brazen daylight operation that has deepened trepidation among local residents. The attack occurred at approximately 2:00 PM — a time when many assume relative safety on public roads — underscoring the audacity and growing boldness of criminal elements operating in the region.
According to sources close to the victims, the bandits, believed to have been travelling in multiple motorcycles and possibly unmarked vehicles, blocked the highway and quickly overpowered the travellers. Eyewitnesses said the assailants brandished weapons and forced the victims into the bush before speeding away. They gave no warning nor offered any opportunity for resistance, leaving the victims’ fate uncertain as of the latest report.
This incident adds to a disturbing pattern: Yagba East and surrounding communities have in recent months experienced a spike in kidnappings, armed robberies, and highway ambushes — many of them orchestrated in daylight. Residents say this growing insecurity is crippling commerce, disrupting everyday travel, and forcing some to avoid the Odo-Ogbe route entirely. Traders, students, and commuters are now being forced to seek alternative paths, often longer and less convenient, at greater personal risk.
Local authorities have yet to issue an official comment on Sunday’s attack. Meanwhile, community leaders and civil society activists are calling on the state government and security agencies to step up patrols, establish checkpoints, and improve intelligence-gathering along key routes like Odo-Ogbe. They warn that if such abductions continue unchecked, public confidence in the security system will erode further.
Security analysts say the daylight nature of the raid is a worrying sign — suggesting that bandit networks in Kogi State may be growing more confident and better organized, possibly with improved mobility and insider information about patrol patterns. The fact that the four victims were taken openly and without apparent resistance points to a significant breakdown in deterrence.
The community now waits anxiously for news of the abducted travellers as families and friends pray for their safe return. At the same time, the incident has sparked widespread concern across Kogi’s rural and semi-urban areas, where many fear they could be next.
As the state government and security agencies mull their next move, one thing remains clear: unless there is a robust and immediate response — combining enhanced patrols, community-based early-warning systems, and urgent rescue operations — the Odo-Ogbe corridor may rapidly degenerate into a no-go zone, deepening insecurity not only in Yagba East but across Kogi State and beyond.
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