Fifteen National Youth Service Corps members and six other people abducted in Kogi State have been rescued after security forces stormed the kidnappers’ camp in a coordinated operation.
The victims were rescued from the Egume-Ochaja forest in Ofu Local Government Area, following a search operation involving the police, military, Department of State Services, local vigilantes and hunters.
The NYSC members were travelling from Bayelsa State when they were attacked after entering Kogi along the Itobe-Ajaokuta Highway.
According to the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Kankarofi, the attackers took the corps members and passengers from another vehicle into the bush after the attack.
Security commanders quickly met to plan a rescue operation after receiving information about the abduction.
The search was then expanded into the forest, with local hunters and vigilantes brought in because of their knowledge of the difficult terrain.
The operation eventually led security forces to the kidnappers’ hideout, where a fierce gun battle broke out.
Police said the security forces overpowered the kidnappers and successfully recovered all the abducted victims.
However, the rescue operation was not without casualties, as two of the victims sustained gunshot injuries during the exchange of fire.
One of those injured was an NYSC member, while the other was a civilian who had been abducted from the second vehicle.
The police commissioner also disclosed that four suspected kidnappers were killed during the gun battle, while several others escaped with bullet wounds.
Security personnel have continued searching the surrounding area for the fleeing suspects and are working to prevent them from escaping through neighbouring states.
The Kogi Police Command has also contacted its counterpart in Enugu State to help block possible escape routes as the search for the remaining suspects continues.
The Nigerian military separately confirmed that 21 people — eight males and 13 females — were rescued, including the 15 NYSC members.
The rescued victims are receiving medical attention before they are reunited with their families, according to the latest information from the authorities.
The successful operation has brought relief to the families of the abducted corps members, who had been waiting for news of their loved ones since the attack.
President Bola Tinubu also commended the security agencies involved in the operation and said those responsible for the abduction would face the full weight of the law.
The Kogi police commissioner urged residents and travellers to remain calm, describing the incident as an isolated security challenge and assuring road users that security personnel remain deployed across the state.
Meanwhile, security forces are maintaining their presence in the forest as the search continues for the kidnappers who escaped after the gun battle.