Security operatives have rescued 11 people following an attack on two buses along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, where several National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were reportedly abducted.
The Kogi State Police Command said the victims, including the drivers of both buses, were recovered after a coordinated rescue operation launched shortly after the authorities received a distress call.
Police spokesperson, Saliu Afusat, disclosed this in a statement made available to TheCable yesterday, saying preliminary debriefing indicated that most of those rescued were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.
The victims were reportedly returning from the NYSC orientation camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State when armed men attacked their vehicles.
According to the police, the incident occurred at about 4:40pm on Wednesday around Ogene Zaria, close to the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction.
Afusat said the attackers emerged from the bush, blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions and abducted some of the passengers before fleeing into the surrounding bush.
Following the distress call, the Divisional Police Officer in Ofu led a joint security team to the scene. Two abandoned vehicles—a white Hummer bus operated by Peace Mass Transit and a yellow 18-seater bus—were subsequently recovered.
The security team then commenced a coordinated bush-combing operation in an effort to locate the abducted passengers.
The operation eventually resulted in the rescue of 11 victims, who were taken through the necessary procedures and debriefed before being allowed to continue their journey.
However, the police have not established publicly how many people were initially abducted, leaving uncertainty over whether other victims remain in captivity.
The command said efforts were ongoing to determine the number of NYSC members and other passengers who may still be missing.
Afusat said the police, working with other security agencies, had deployed “every available operational and intelligence resource” to locate any remaining victims and arrest those responsible for the attack.
The incident comes as the authorities continue to rely on joint security operations to respond to attacks and abductions along major highways.
The police urged continued cooperation with security agencies as the search for the remaining victims and suspects continues.
