A quiet afternoon along the Osokoko-Obajanaa road in Kogi State turned chaotic on Thursday when bandits launched an attack on two commercial buses, leaving travellers scrambling for safety.
Local sources quoted by Sahara Reporters said the gunmen targeted a pair of 18-seater vehicles. One bus managed to race away, but the other was forced to stop, and everyone on board was taken into the bush.
At the time of writing, government authorities have yet to confirm how many people were abducted, though eyewitnesses said no passenger escaped from the seized vehicle.
Soldiers arrived shortly after the attack and confronted the gunmen, a clash that led to a temporary lockdown of the highway. The encounter formed the backdrop of a video circulating online, showing stranded travellers waiting for the troops to clear the road before movement resumed.
Residents have now advised motorists to avoid the axis until security operatives secure the area fully. In one of the videos shared on social media, a woman offered reassurance to those still panicking, saying, “Road don clear, all thanks to the Nigerian Army, everybody don dey go back.”
Although security agencies have not released an official statement, witnesses said the military response prevented any loss of life or destruction of property, forcing the attackers to retreat.
The latest incident adds to a worrying pattern in Kogi State, where armed groups have repeatedly exploited vulnerable routes. Only a day earlier, Kiri High School in Aiyetoro Kiri, Kabba Bunu Local Government Area, came under attack.
Members of the Kiri Vigilante Group were said to have mobilised quickly and rescued all abducted students. Their success came with a heavy price, as one vigilante was killed in the confrontation. A resident also reported that a Hausa man died during the attack.
The attempted abduction is part of a rising wave of kidnappings across Nigeria’s north-central region. More than 400 people, most of them schoolchildren, have been kidnapped since mid-November.
The scale of the crisis has drawn sharp criticism from the United States and religious leaders across the world, who are calling for stronger protection for communities caught in the violence.
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