Kogi abduction incident confirmed as bandits attack transit route in Yagba East, kidnapping two and prompting police and army response.

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of two persons and the escape of another following a bandit attack between Sanlu and Idofin in Yagba East Local Government Area.

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The command’s spokesman, Chief Superintendent of Police William Aya, disclosed the incident late Saturday, saying three people were attacked while travelling by car along the transit route.

One passenger, identified as Raji Adesukanmi, escaped, while two others were kidnapped. Details of the attack were not immediately provided.

Aya said that the state Commissioner of Police had deployed a tactical team, including the Quick Response Unit, Anti-Kidnapping Unit, and Police Mobile Force, to the area to ensure the safe recovery of the victims.

The incident follows a recent rescue operation by troops of the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army in the same area.

On 29 November 2025, the army recovered five kidnapped victims in two separate operations near Isanlu–Egbe, after bandits abducted four civilians in one incident and another individual nearby.

The rescuing forces engaged the kidnappers with superior firepower, forcing them to flee and leaving the victims unharmed.

Brigadier General Kasim Sidi, leading the operation, reaffirmed the army’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property across Kogi State, noting that troops would continue robust patrols to deny criminals freedom of movement.

The Yagba East incident is part of a broader trend of abductions in North Central Nigeria.

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Recent attacks include the kidnapping of 38 worshippers in Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, Kwara State, in which two people were killed, and the abduction of over 300 students in Niger State.