Gunmen Abduct Health Worker, Wife in Kogi as Bandits Turn Bunu District Into Hunting Ground

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

Suspected bandits have abducted a community health worker, popularly known as "Dr Ebi", and his wife during a late-night attack on Iluke, a major settlement in the Bunu district of Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, residents said. The gunmen stormed the Oke Bukun area of the community around 1 a.m. on Thursday, May 21, 2026, forcing the couple onto motorcycles before firing sporadically into the air as they escaped into nearby forests, sources told reporters.

The victims, identified locally as a health worker who owns a clinic in the neighbouring Oferre community, were abducted from their home in an operation that has thrown the entire Bunu district into fear. According to residents, the armed men invaded the quiet settlement in the dead of night, an unprecedented security breach for the area. "This is the first time such a brazen attack has happened here. We are all terrified," a community leader who spoke on condition of anonymity told Stone Reporters News.

The abduction of the health worker and his wife follows a string of violent incidents that have plagued the Bunu district and surrounding areas in recent weeks. On Monday, May 4, suspected bandits blocked the Iluke–Oferre road, shooting randomly and abducting a commercial driver identified only as Jacob. The kidnappers demanded a staggering N50 million ransom for his release, a sum that family sources said remains unpaid as negotiations stall. "They have stuck to their ground. They are not shifting from that amount," a source familiar with the matter disclosed.

In an even more shocking development, gunmen on Wednesday, April 16, abducted two wives, two children, and an aide of "Prof Wonder", the paramount ruler of Odai, a tiny agrarian community near Iluke. The kidnappers demanded N150 million for their release. When the ransom was not paid promptly, sources said the abductors killed two of the monarch's children and circulated graphic images of the killings on social media. More than a month after the attack, the traumatised traditional ruler has reportedly been hospitalised while his remaining family members remain in captivity. The bandits have recently insisted that the monarch must personally deliver the ransom or risk losing the other captives.

The latest abduction has heightened panic not only in Iluke but also in neighbouring communities in Mopamuro and Ijumu Local Government Areas, many of whom woke up to the news of the attack in shock. Residents described a growing sense of abandonment as criminal gangs operate with increasing audacity across the state's rural interior. "We are left to our fate. The government has forgotten us," a resident of Iluke told reporters.

The Kogi State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement on the abduction. The command’s Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent Saliu Afuzat Oyiza, reportedly promised to respond after making inquiries but had not done so as of press time. Efforts to reach her for comment were unsuccessful.

The repeated attacks in the Bunu district underscore a troubling pattern: rural communities in Kogi State are becoming increasingly vulnerable to kidnapping networks that exploit dense forest corridors and the state’s strategic location linking northern and southern Nigeria. Security officials have acknowledged that armed groups have been crossing state boundaries with ease, turning Kogi into a transit hub for bandits operating across the North‑Central region.

In a similar development on May 20, a Fulani man identified as Bube and one of his cattle rearers were kidnapped in Odo‑Eri community in Yagba West Local Government Area, less than 48 hours after an intelligence alert warned of a possible security threat in the area. Earlier in January 2026, residents of Ayetoro‑Kiri community in the same Kabba‑Bunu LGA decried persistent bandit attacks, alleging official negligence. According to them, scores of residents were abducted, and after painful ransom payments raised through communal contributions, only seven victims were released. Three of them were already dead, and four others were allegedly battling for their lives in critical condition, while about 30 innocent citizens remained in captivity.

Community leaders in Bunuland have repeatedly called for urgent government intervention, warning that the escalating insecurity could lead to a complete breakdown of law and order in the area. "We cannot continue like this. Our people are being taken from their homes in the middle of the night. We need action, not promises," a stakeholder said.

As of the time of this report, the whereabouts of the health worker and his wife remain unknown. No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and no ransom demand has been publicly announced. Residents of Iluke and surrounding communities are living in fear, uncertain if they will be next. For now, the people of Bunu district are left to pray for the safe return of their neighbours and for a security response that has yet to materialise.

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