Some passengers abducted by suspected bandits along the Itobe–Ajegwu–Anyigba road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State have regained freedom after their captors reportedly fell asleep in the forest.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred on Saturday when armed hoodlums ambushed two commercial buses conveying travellers along the route.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the assailants, numbering about 10, intercepted the vehicles—one of which bore Ebonyi registration number NKE 737 XA—before forcefully herding the passengers into the bush at gunpoint.
A motorcycle rider was also reportedly abducted during the attack.
A resident of the area, Ahiaba Michael, said local vigilantes, hunters and other security operatives swiftly mobilised and pursued the kidnappers but were unable to rescue the victims immediately.
However, security sources disclosed that a suspect, identified as Monday Agi, was arrested about three hours after the incident while allegedly attempting to flee the area.
The source said the suspect claimed he had boarded a trailer from Ekiti State but disembarked near the scene and fled into the bush upon hearing gunshots.
“He said he ran into the bush alongside two herders he did not know. But he was apprehended due to intensified pressure from security operatives,” the source added.
Meanwhile, at least three victims—identified as Micheal Adejo, Monday and Mariam Yakubu—narrated how they escaped from captivity after their abductors dozed off.
One of the escapees recounted that the attackers, armed with AK-47 rifles and pump-action guns, forced passengers out of the buses and marched them deep into the forest after robbing them of money, phones and other valuables.
“The bus I boarded ran into their barricade. They ordered us out at gunpoint, and when the second bus approached, they opened fire and forced it off the road. All of us were then taken into the bush,” he said.
He added that the victims were later made to lie face down while the gunmen searched and dispossessed them of their belongings.
Another escapee explained that they seized the opportunity to flee when some of the kidnappers fell asleep.
“When I noticed those guarding us had slept off, I began to crawl quietly. After moving some distance, I stood up and ran. Eventually, I met a village alongside two others who escaped,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to get a reaction from the Kogi State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to her phone went unanswered.
Security operatives are said to have intensified efforts to track down the fleeing bandits and secure the release of other victims still in captivity.
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