Kogi Abduction: Kidnappers Demand ₦20m Ransom for Each NYSC Member

NYSC Members

Kogi Abduction: Kidnappers Demand ₦20m Ransom for Each NYSC Member

Gunmen abduct corps members returning from Bayelsa orientation camp, 11 rescued while others remain in captivity as families plead for government intervention

Gunmen who abducted members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja have demanded ₦20 million for the release of each victim. The corps members were kidnapped along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State while returning from their three-week orientation exercise at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

According to Daily Trust, a family member of one of the abducted corps members confirmed that the kidnappers had contacted the family and made the ransom demand. “One of our daughters who was kidnapped on her way from Bayelsa State to Abuja after completing three weeks orientation camp. The kidnappers are requesting N20 million naira,” the source said. The victims were members of the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream II and had reportedly concluded their orientation camp activities before beginning their journey.

The attack occurred on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at about 4:40 p.m. near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, when armed men reportedly emerged from the bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions. Reports indicate that up to 15 corps members may have been initially abducted. According to the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), one family member said 16 people were listed on one of the manifests, but one corps member was transferred to another vehicle after the driver said the bus was full. “From the explanation of the driver, who was badly injured, 15 passengers were kidnapped even though 16 people were listed on the manifest,” the source told FIJ. The driver was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment.

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The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the abduction and said that a joint security team launched a search-and-rescue operation after receiving a distress call. The Divisional Police Officer in Ofu led a joint security team to the scene, where two abandoned vehicles—a Peace Mass Transit white Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus—were recovered before security operatives launched a coordinated bush-combing operation. The operation resulted in the rescue of 11 abducted victims, including the drivers of the two buses. Preliminary debriefing indicated that most of the rescued victims were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.

However, the family members of some victims have disputed the police’s claim that 11 people were rescued. Chidinma, the sister of one of the abducted corps members, said in an emotional appeal that her sister was still missing and that the family was struggling to meet the kidnappers’ ransom demands. She also said her family was still grieving the death of their mother some months ago and could not bear another loss. “My sister was taken away on Wednesday and other corps members. They are not doing anything. They keep telling us that they are on it. Those children are in the forest suffering, the kidnappers kept asking for what we cannot afford. Government should take this matter up because those children are still government property,” she said.

The abduction has drawn widespread condemnation from civil society groups. The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the incident and demanded the immediate rescue of all abducted corps members. In a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the group expressed shock that young Nigerians serving their country could still be kidnapped on highways without an effective system to protect them. HURIWA questioned why corps members travelling from high-risk areas could not be transported by air to safer locations before continuing their journeys to their places of primary assignment. The group called on the Federal Government to urgently review the movement of corps members across the country and introduce safer transportation arrangements.

The incident has renewed concerns about the security of major roads in Kogi State. Earlier in August, security agencies reported another kidnapping incident along roads in Ofu Local Government Area, while a subsequent military operation resulted in the rescue of 16 victims. The repeated attacks have raised fears over the safety of travellers using Kogi’s highways, particularly routes linking the state with neighbouring states and areas where criminals can retreat into forested terrain.

The police said the joint security operation remained ongoing in the surrounding forest, with the primary objectives of rescuing any remaining victims and apprehending the perpetrators. The command assured the public that every available operational and intelligence resource was being deployed to secure the area and ensure the safe recovery of the remaining victims.