Suspected kidnappers have reportedly abducted an unspecified number of passengers travelling in three commercial buses along the Itobe-Achigili-Anyigba highway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The attacks, according to local sources, occurred separately within a two-hour period on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at locations close to each other along the highway.
The first incident reportedly occurred around 4 p.m. between Ojuwo-Ajengo and Mamerebo settlement, when a Hummer bus belonging to a popular mass transit company was intercepted while travelling to Abuja from its eastern regional park.
The second attack took place around 6 p.m. between Ojodu and Ojuwo-Olijo village. A Sharon and a Sienna commercial bus, both said to be on an interstate journey, reportedly fell into the gunmen’s ambush.
According to witnesses, the armed men mounted barricades on the road, forcing the buses to stop before taking the occupants into the surrounding bush.
“We found two cellphones in the grass around one of the buses, which were later handed over to security operatives. The armed men left with all the occupants of the three buses,” a source said.
The source added that the first bus intercepted was a Hummer bus marked “Peace Mass Transit” with fleet number 2838.
The other two vehicles, identified as a Sharon and Sienna bus with registration numbers Kogi ERE 138 AE and BB 362 MKA, were reportedly ambushed around 6 p.m.
The exact number of people abducted remains unknown, with sources saying the passengers’ manifests may be required to establish the number of victims.
A source from a local security outfit said, “The number of abducted persons from each of the three buses is not clear yet, except through the passengers’ manifests.”
Following the attacks, a joint security operation involving personnel of the Nigerian Army, police, local vigilantes and hunters was reportedly deployed to the area.
The operation is aimed at locating and rescuing the abducted passengers while also tracking down the suspected kidnappers.
