The Nigerian Army has successfully rescued 21 passengers who were abducted along the Obajana–Oshokoshoko road in Lokoja Local Government Area, Kogi State.
Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the 12 Brigade in Lokoja, confirmed the development on Saturday, saying the victims were freed following a coordinated operation by the brigade, local vigilantes, hunters, and other security personnel.
The passengers had been seized after suspected bandits blocked the highway around 2:30 pm, attacking several vehicles, including an 18-seater commercial bus.
The abductors reportedly took the passengers into the bush and later demanded a ransom of N40 million.
Some of the victims were travelling to Abuja, while others were on journeys from Oshogbo, Kabba, and Ekiti State.
Eyewitnesses said that among the rescued were members of two families, as well as two drivers. “Two families lost four members each in the incident, and all were rescued,” a source said.
Kogi State Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo vowed to take a proactive approach against criminal hideouts rather than wait for attacks to occur.
Speaking at an emergency security meeting in Lokoja, the governor said intelligence reports indicated that top bandit leaders had recently relocated to the state.
He assured that decisive action would be taken and emphasized that the government would not pay ransom or negotiate with the criminals.
“The major commanders of the bandits have relocated to Kogi State over the past three days. We will not wait for them to attack us; we will take the fight to them. Our people must also remain security conscious,” Governor Ododo stated.
