Bandits Abduct Couple in Kwara as Army Rescues Kidnap Victims in Kogi

Suspected bandits have invaded Lafiagi, the headquarters of Edu Local Government Area in Kwara State, abducting a husband and wife in the latest attack on the community, which has now suffered two incidents within 48 hours.

The attack occurred around midnight on Thursday near the Provost Lodge area of the town. Gunmen stormed a residence and whisked the couple away to an unknown destination. Community sources identified the victims as a Fulani couple who lived in the neighbourhood.

A resident, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said the attackers operated under cover of darkness and escaped before security operatives could intervene. The source noted that the victim is related to a Fulani leader whom the attackers had targeted during a previous assault.

On Monday, suspected bandits had attacked a Fulani settlement in the Sodo-Sawmill area on the outskirts of Lafiagi, killing one resident and abducting two women. The attackers reportedly targeted a Fulani leader but failed to locate him, instead seizing two women believed to be his wives. The state Commissioner of Police confirmed that one person was killed and two women, aged 25 and 35, were abducted.

Meanwhile, in Kogi State, troops of the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army under the 2 Division rescued two victims following a swift response to a kidnapping incident in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area.

According to an army statement, terrorists invaded a residence near Solid Rock School in Ijalu, Egbe, on the night of June 3, abducting five members of a family, including a woman, her infant child, and three others.

Upon receiving a distress report, troops mobilised alongside members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and pursued the terrorists. The sustained pressure forced the abductors to abandon a woman and her six-month-old child near the Oro axis before fleeing.

The rescued victims were safely returned to their residence. The army stated that aggressive search operations continue to rescue the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators. This rescue operation follows two other successful interventions in Kogi within the same week, including the rescue of 23 kidnapped passengers and the thwarting of a planned kidnapping that led to the neutralisation of a terrorist.