Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Mr Adekunle, a farmer from Okua community in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, has regained his freedom after spending approximately one month in the custody of armed bandits. His release on Thursday, September 17, 2026, brought an end to a harrowing ordeal that began on the afternoon of August 17, when he left his home for his farm near the Comprehensive College area of Egbe and never returned.
According to reports, Adekunle's family raised the alarm when he failed to return home. Security operatives who visited his farm during the search discovered that he had been abducted, and his motorcycle was also found missing from the farm. The circumstances surrounding his abduction remained unclear, and no group claimed responsibility for the attack. For a month, his family and community waited in agonising uncertainty, praying for his safe return.
His release on Thursday followed the payment of a ransom, according to reports. Adekunle is currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital, where he is said to be recovering from the trauma of his captivity. The development has brought relief to his family and the wider Egbe community, who had been anxiously awaiting his safe return since the day he was taken.
However, the joy of his release is shadowed by the grim reality that continues to grip Yagba West. Adekunle's abduction was not an isolated incident. It was the latest in a pattern of attacks that have made life increasingly precarious for farmers and residents in the region. In August 2026, armed men abducted four persons from Okoloke community in Yagba West, while a father and his two children were kidnapped in Odo-Ere. Earlier in the year, a traditional ruler from Oke-Ere community was abducted while working on his farm and later died in captivity. In March, one person was killed and three others abducted in the Idi Ogun area of Bareke, Egbe.
The scale of the crisis is staggering. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project showed that Kogi State recorded at least 150 fatalities and 365 abductions linked to armed violence between January and mid-December 2025, with Yagba West among the worst-affected areas. The violence has forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes, abandoned farms, and left communities like Okunran as ghost settlements. Agriculture, the lifeblood of the region, has been crippled. Farmers are being systematically targeted, their livelihoods destroyed, and their families torn apart.
Residents have repeatedly called on the government and security agencies to intensify operations and protect vulnerable communities. The establishment of a military base in Egbe was welcomed as a step toward restoring security, but the persistence of attacks suggests that more needs to be done. The Kogi State Government has acknowledged the severity of the situation, with Deputy Governor Joel Salifu convening high-level security meetings and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo ordering intensified security responses. But for the families of those still in captivity, and for the thousands of farmers who continue to risk their lives to feed the nation, these measures have offered little comfort.
Adekunle's release is a moment of relief for his family, but it is also a reminder of the fragility of life in Yagba West. His freedom was secured through a ransom, as has been the case for many other victims. The government's refusal to negotiate with kidnappers has not stopped the payments, nor has it stopped the abductions. The cycle continues, and with each passing day, the question grows louder: how many more farmers must be taken before the government takes decisive action to protect them?
The people of Egbe and the wider Yagba West are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for the basic right to live without fear, to farm without the threat of abduction, and to raise their families without the constant dread of violence. Until that right is guaranteed, the release of one farmer will remain what it is: a flicker of relief in a long, dark night.
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