Security operatives successfully rescued 21 victims, including 15 NYSC members, following an operation along the Itobe-Ochadamu Expressway.
Security operatives have gunned down four kidnappers during a rescue operation that freed 21 abducted victims in Kogi State, including 15 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.
Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, confirmed the operation, which was a joint effort involving police operatives, the military, and local vigilantes. The rescue took place on Tuesday, following a coordinated response to a kidnapping incident that occurred on August 26 along the Itobe-Ochadamu Expressway.
The rescued victims, comprised of the 15 corps members, the driver and conductor of a Peace Mass Transit bus, and four others, were abducted last week in Ofu Local Government Area. According to Dantawaye, the security team tracked the kidnappers to their hideout, where a gun duel ensued, resulting in the death of four of the abductors and the successful rescue of all 21 victims.
The victims have since been reunited with their families. Dantawaye also confirmed that rescue efforts are ongoing for a police officer who was abducted in the same incident but not among those rescued on Tuesday. He added that the officer’s abductors are still holding him captive.
Earlier, the NYSC and the National Association of Nigerian Students had raised concerns over the safety of the corps members, whose families confirmed their abduction. Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo had also directed security agencies to intensify efforts to ensure their safe return.
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