Several members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were reportedly abducted on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, while travelling from the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State.

The corps members were said to be heading towards Abuja after completing the mandatory three-week orientation programme in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State when armed assailants reportedly attacked the vehicles conveying them.

The incident has raised fresh concerns about the safety of corps members travelling between states, particularly on highways where criminal gangs have continued to exploit isolated stretches of road to carry out attacks and abductions.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, Saliu Afusat, said security operatives commenced a rescue operation immediately after receiving information about the attack.

According to the police, the incident occurred at approximately 4:40 p.m. around Ogene Zaria, close to the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction.

The attackers were said to have emerged from the surrounding bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions. They subsequently forced some passengers into the bush, while others managed to escape during the attack.

Following the distress call, police personnel and other security agencies were deployed to the area to locate the victims and apprehend the attackers.

Two abandoned vehicles were later recovered from the scene. They were identified as a white Peace Mass Transit Hummer bus and a yellow 18-seater bus.

The recovery of the vehicles prompted security operatives to intensify their search of the surrounding forest and bushes in an effort to locate the abducted passengers.

The coordinated operation eventually resulted in the rescue of 11 victims, including the drivers of the two buses.

The police said preliminary information obtained during the debriefing of the rescued victims indicated that most of them were NYSC members returning from Bayelsa State to Abuja after their orientation exercise.

After undergoing necessary security procedures and debriefing, the rescued victims were reportedly allowed to continue their journey.

However, the police did not provide a definitive figure for the total number of NYSC members or passengers abducted during the attack, leaving uncertainty over the fate of those who may still be in the custody of the attackers.

The Kogi State Police Command said it had intensified efforts to locate and rescue any remaining victims.

The command also pledged to deploy all available operational and intelligence resources to the search, while efforts were expected to continue in the surrounding areas where the victims were believed to have been taken.

The incident has generated anxiety among relatives of the corps members, with several individuals taking to social media to raise concerns over family members who they claimed had not returned after the attack.

Among those who appealed for government intervention was a woman identified as Chidimma, who released a video pleading with the government, NYSC authorities and security agencies to help secure the release of her sister.

According to Chidimma, her sister had completed the NYSC orientation programme in Bayelsa State and had been posted to Niger State for her primary assignment.

She said the corps member intended to spend the night in Abuja before proceeding to Niger State.

Chidimma alleged that the vehicle conveying her sister and other corps members was attacked along the Kogi route, claiming that the driver was killed and the passengers taken into the bush.

She said the family had not received reliable information about her sister’s whereabouts following the incident and appealed to authorities to intensify efforts to rescue those still missing.

Another individual, identified as Chisom Ede, also claimed that his sister was among the corps members abducted during the attack.

Ede said his sister and other NYSC members were travelling from Bayelsa State when the vehicle came under attack along the Kogi route.

He appealed to the NYSC, Federal Government and security agencies to urgently intervene and ensure that all those still in captivity were rescued safely.

Another social media user, identified by the handle @ddevilsworkshop, similarly claimed that his sister was among the passengers travelling in the Peace Mass Transit vehicle.

The user shared what he described as a list of passengers who had boarded the vehicle and alleged that the abductors were demanding a ransom of ₦20 million.

The ransom claim, however, had not been independently confirmed by the police at the time of the report.

The conflicting accounts surrounding the number of people abducted have heightened concerns about the fate of passengers who may still be missing.

While the police confirmed the rescue of 11 victims, including the two drivers, the command’s statement did not establish how many people were originally taken into the bush.

The incident also underscores the security risks faced by NYSC members, who routinely travel across the country as part of their deployment to different states.

Corps members often undertake long journeys between orientation camps, places of primary assignment and their home states, making transportation security a significant concern for the scheme and their families.

The attack comes at a time when security agencies across the country are under increasing pressure to curb highway kidnapping and other forms of criminality.

For the families of those still unaccounted for, the immediate priority remains the safe recovery of their loved ones.

The Kogi police command has therefore urged members of the public with useful information that could assist the rescue operation to provide it to security authorities.

Meanwhile, security personnel are expected to sustain the search around the Aloma-Egane corridor and other areas considered potential hideouts for the attackers.

The authorities will also face the task of establishing the circumstances surrounding the attack, identifying the perpetrators and determining whether there were security lapses that could have contributed to the incident.

For now, the rescue of 11 victims provides some relief, but uncertainty remains over the number and condition of those who may still be held captive.

The police have assured the public that efforts will continue until every victim is accounted for and rescued.