Gunmen Attack Buses, Abduct 15 Corps Members In Kogi

Fifteen members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have been abducted by gunmen while travelling from the permanent orientation camp in Bayelsa State to Abuja.

The corps members, who were members of the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream II, were reportedly kidnapped on Wednesday along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

A relative of one of the victims, who spoke with FIJ, said the corps members were travelling in two buses when the gunmen intercepted them.

According to the relative, Ayodele David and 14 other corps members were among those taken from a Peace Mass Transit bus and another yellow Toyota bus marked 564.

He said the family was alerted to the incident by Adeji Joshua, a police officer attached to the Kogi State Police Command, who reportedly obtained the victims’ next-of-kin details from a passenger manifest recovered at the scene.

“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,” the relative said.

The police officer later confirmed the incident, saying the driver of the Peace Mass Transit bus was left behind by the kidnappers after he was badly injured.

The driver was reportedly taken to hospital for treatment and was said to be recovering as of Thursday.

Joshua said 15 passengers were abducted from the Peace Mass bus, although 16 people had been listed on the manifest.

He explained that one of the corps members was unable to board the bus because the driver said it was already full and subsequently transferred her to another vehicle.

“The rest of them in that bus, which is Peace Mass number 2826, were kidnapped,” he said.

He added that four passengers were taken from the second vehicle, while the remaining occupants were allowed to leave, reportedly because several of them had babies.

The police officer said the driver’s account suggested that the abductors spoke Fulfulde, Hausa and English. However, their identities and affiliations had not been established as of Thursday.

A video from the scene also reportedly showed the attackers firing shots before abducting the victims.

The incident occurred shortly after the corps members completed their orientation exercises at the NYSC permanent camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The development has raised fresh concerns over the safety of corps members travelling between states, particularly after completing their mandatory orientation programme.

Efforts by FIJ to obtain an official reaction from the NYSC were unsuccessful as of Thursday.

The NYSC Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, asked whether the Bayelsa State coordinator, Samuel Amaramiro Pepple, had been contacted. She subsequently said she would make enquiries after being told that the reporter needed information on the incident.

Calls placed to a number listed as Pepple’s on Google were unsuccessful, as the line was reportedly busy on three occasions.

Attempts to reach Peace Mass Transit through its emergency and customer service numbers published on its website were also unsuccessful.

The victims’ families are expected to continue liaising with security agencies as efforts to establish the whereabouts of the abducted corps members continue.

Source: FIJ