\n\n
Security forces have rescued 21 abducted Nigerians, including 15 NYSC members, from a kidnappers’ hideout in Egume Forest, Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State. Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Kankarofi, said the operation began immediately after authorities received an alert about the abduction, with personnel from the police, military, Department of State Services, local vigilantes and hunters joining the search.
According to the police, the security teams tracked the kidnappers through the forest and eventually located their camp, where the victims were being held. The operation resulted in the safe recovery of the 15 corps members and six other victims, while security personnel continued efforts to pursue the fleeing abductors. One rescued corps member, David Ayodele, later recounted that the kidnappers had threatened to keep them in the forest for a month and kill them.
The rescued corps members had completed their NYSC orientation programme in Bayelsa State and were travelling to Abuja and other destinations when they were abducted. Authorities have praised the coordinated operation, while security agencies have maintained that efforts will continue to locate and apprehend the kidnappers responsible for the attack.
