More Than 10 Kidnapped Christians Rescued in Kogi–Ekiti Operation

Joint forces free abducted villagers after a cross‑state pursuit, as security analysts warn that undermanned forest bases are allowing kidnappers to move freely across Kogi, Ekiti, and Kwara.

By Onibiyo Segun 

IYEMERO, Nigeria — More than 10 Christians abducted along Ogbe-Koro Road in Kogi State were rescued near Iyemero, Ekiti State, early Saturday, October 10, bringing relief to families who feared they could not afford a ransom.

The son of Mrs. Alice David, a peasant farmer, was among those rescued. She said her blood pressure had risen since she learned of his abduction and feared her family would be unable to pay if the kidnappers demanded a ransom.

“My blood pressure has been up from when I heard the news of my son’s abduction. We are poor peasant farmers. If they had demanded ransom, how’d we pay? I thank God for their safe return,” David told a TruthNigeria reporter.

The victims were reportedly abducted on Thursday, October 8, along Ogbe-Koro Road in Yagba West county (Local Government Area), Kogi State. They were rescued early Saturday near Iyemero, Ekiti State, in a joint operation involving Nigerian Army troops, Ekiti State vigilantes and Kwara State forest guards.

Reports associated the military contingent with the Nigerian Army’s 12th Brigade, stationed at Egbe in Kogi State. The exact number of people rescued has not been independently established beyond reports that more than 10 victims were recovered.

A Family Feared Ransom It Could Never Afford

For David’s family, the abduction brought the prospect of a ransom demand that poor peasant farmers would have struggled to meet. His safe return brought relief, but residents say the threat of kidnapping continues to disrupt ordinary life.

“We give thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the rescue of our brethren. We prayed and God heard our cry. We give him glory,” Pastor Tunde Famoyo of ECWA church in Egbe told TruthNigeria.

“We have become prisoners in our own fatherland. We dare not go far from home to farms. If we gather to worship, we are in trouble, despite the military presence. They have attacked almost all the churches here (Egbe) and environs. Only Jesus is our protector,” elder Ejisun James told TruthNigeria.

Earlier Abductions Raise Questions About Who Is Responsible

The latest incident comes amid previous reports of kidnapping and armed activity around communities linking Kogi and Kwara states. In March, TruthNigeria reported on suspected Ansaru-linked cells accused by sources of abducting Christians and other civilians around the Egbe–Eruku area.

A separate TruthNigeria report documented highway ambushes, abductions and farm kidnappings in parts of Kogi State, highlighting the threat to rural communities and travelers.

The identities and affiliations of the perpetrators in this latest incident have not been officially confirmed.

Kidnappers Cross State Lines as Security Forces Struggle to Hold Ground

Retired Major Fajola Ojomo, a security analyst, said the recovery of victims in Ekiti after their reported abduction in Kogi demonstrated the challenge of coordinating security across state boundaries.

“That more than 10 victims kidnapped on Ogbe-Koro Road in Kogi could be recovered in a forest in Iyemero in Ekiti tells you everything about this war. We have no inter-state forest domination. Kidnappers abduct in Kogi, hold in Ekiti, escape to Kwara. They operate across three state boundaries because there is no one holding the bush,” Ojomo told TruthNigeria.

His description is an assessment of the wider security situation; the precise route taken by the kidnappers has not been independently mapped.

“The Egbe Forward Operating Base has about 20 soldiers. Twenty soldiers cannot dominate the Ogbe-Koro-Iyemero-Koro forest corridor. It is a platoon, not a battalion. They can react, they cannot hold”, Ojomo noted.

Senator Sunday Karimi, who financed Egbe’s Forward Operating Base, said at its October 2024 inauguration that it housed about 20 soldiers, to strengthen and respond to security threats around communities near the Kogi, Kwara and Ekiti boundaries. 

Ojomo explained: “Look at what the report says that kidnappers were caught off guard, ran out of ammunition, fled with injuries. That is not a hardened terrorist camp. That is a rag-tag kidnapping cell that stayed too long in one place because they knew no one was coming to search that forest thoroughly.”

“If 12 Brigade in Egbe, Ekiti vigilantes and Kwara forest guards can find them in 36 hours when they work together, why is that joint combing not done every week?” Ojomo asked.

Folorunsho Akande provided the account of the gun battle and the suspected kidnappers’ injuries in an interview with a TruthNigeria reporter. Akande told TruthNigeria that the kidnappers were caught off guard, ran out of ammunition and fled with varying injuries. 

Separately, a family member of two victims and Pastor Famoyo provided accounts concerning reports that injured suspects were taken to Egbe General Hospital. 

A Rescue Is Not the Same as Lasting Protection

For David’s family, the rescue ended fears of losing a son or facing an unaffordable ransom. Yet residents around Egbe and Ogbe-Koro remain uncertain about returning safely to farms, roads and places of worship.

Ojomo urged regular joint forest searches, arguing that security forces must prevent abductions, not merely respond afterward. Lasting relief will depend on sustained cooperation across state boundaries, better protection for vulnerable communities and efforts to identify those responsible.

Onibiyo Segun reports on terrorism and conflict for TruthNigeria.

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