Fifteen National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members have been abducted by Armed Bandits in Kogi State while returning from their orientation camp in Bayelsa State.
The corps members were said to have been travelling from the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State towards Abuja when they were intercepted along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
A relative of one of the victims, who spoke on the incident on Thursday, confirmed that the corps members were taken while on their journey to the Federal Capital Territory. The victims were said to be traveling in some vehicles, including a Peace Mass Transit bus and a yellow Toyota bus marked 564. A police officer from the Kogi State Police Command who obtained next-of-kin contacts from the passengers’ manifest contacted the victims’ families.
As of the time of reporting, details regarding the identities of the victims, possible ransom demands, and ongoing rescue efforts remain unclear. The reported incident has, however, renewed concerns over the safety of NYSC members traveling across different states of the country, particularly young Nigerians returning to their states after completing orientation camp activities.
NYSC’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, was contacted but couldn’t confirm the incident, while attempts to reach the Bayelsa coordinator were also unsuccessful. Also, the Kogi state police command has yet to speak on the development, though The Advocate learnt that it has launched an operation in conjunction with vigilante groups in the area to rescue the victims.
