Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Fresh fear has gripped farming communities around the Air Trip area near Egbe in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, following two days of violent attacks by armed bandits on local farmers. The incidents, which occurred on May 6 and May 7, 2026, have left two men nursing serious injuries and a woman in the hands of unknown assailants, further deepening the security crisis in a region already struggling with rural banditry.
According to community sources, the first attack happened on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. A member of the Akanrawon family was reportedly working on his farm when unidentified assailants emerged from the surrounding bush and attacked him with machetes. The victim sustained deep cuts and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he is currently receiving treatment. His condition was described as serious but stable by those who visited him.
Barely 24 hours later, on Thursday, May 7, another farmer, said to be of Kambari origin, was attacked in the same general area. This time, the assailants struck with even greater brutality. They not only injured the farmer but also abducted his wife. Her whereabouts remain unknown. The injured farmer was also taken to a medical facility, while community members have launched informal efforts to locate the abducted woman.
Residents of the Air Trip axis and surrounding villages have expressed growing alarm. Many farmers have already abandoned their farmlands, fearing that the attacks could escalate. “We are afraid to go to our farms. These people come without warning. They are not asking for money; they are just attacking and taking people,” a community elder who spoke on condition of anonymity told Stone Reporters News. The elder added that the worsening insecurity has made it nearly impossible for families to sustain themselves, as farming is the primary livelihood in the area.
The Air Trip area is located in the hilly terrain of Yagba West LGA, a region that shares borders with bandit‑infested forests stretching into Ekiti and Kwara states. In recent months, similar attacks have been reported across the North Central zone, with criminal gangs increasingly targeting isolated farms and rural roads. The Egbe‑Air Trip axis, in particular, has witnessed a spike in violent incidents, including armed robbery, kidnapping, and now, direct assaults on farmers.
As of the time of filing this report, no security agency had issued an official statement on the attacks. The Kogi State Police Command did not respond to calls, and the state government has not commented. The absence of official communication has only deepened residents’ sense of abandonment. Some community leaders have called for the deployment of military or police posts in the area, as well as mobile patrols to protect farmlands during peak harvest seasons.
The injured victims remain in hospital. The abducted woman has not been found, and no group has claimed responsibility. Meanwhile, farmers across Yagba West are watching the skies and the bush lines, unsure whether the next machete swing will be aimed at them. For a community that depends on the land for survival, the choice between staying home to live and going to the farm to feed one’s family has never been more agonising.
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