Gunmen abduct 15 NYSC members in Kogi while returning home

Fifteen members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were taken by gunmen in the Ofu/Itobe, Onicha-Igo area of Ofu Local Government Area in Kogi State.

A family member of one of the victims spoke to the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ). He said the corps members were kidnapped on Wednesday while heading back from the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to Abuja.

The victims were part of the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream II. They had finished their camp activities before starting their journey.

According to the family member, who is related to one of the abducted corps members, the youths were travelling in two buses when the gunmen struck.

He mentioned that his brother, Ayodele David, was among those taken.

A police officer named Adeji Joshua reportedly reached out to some of the families. He confirmed that the incident happened along the Ofu/Itobe, Onicha-Igo route.

The family member said the victims included people on a Peace Mass Transit bus and another bus with the number plate 564.

"According to a police officer who contacted us later that night, the incident occurred around Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State, along the Ofu/Itobe, Onicha-Igo axis," he told FIJ.

The report said the driver of the Peace Mass Transit bus was left behind after being injured in the attack.

He mentioned that the kidnappers spoke Fulfulde, Hausa, and English, but the victims’ families could not confirm their identities.

According to him, 16 people were listed on one of the manifests, but one corps member was moved 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," he told FIJ.

The driver was taken to the hospital for treatment after the incident.

A video from the scene showed the attackers firing shots at the vehicles before taking the passengers.

PREMIUM TIMES could not verify the identities of the attackers or if a ransom was asked for at the time of this report.

Attempts to get an official comment from the Kogi State Police Command were not successful. The spokesperson, Saliu Afusat, did not answer calls to her phone.

Calls to Peace Mass Transit’s customer service and emergency numbers also went unanswered.

This incident adds to a series of kidnapping cases reported along Kogi’s highways and forest areas in recent weeks.