The Kogi State Government has praised security agencies for the successful rescue of 21 people abducted by suspected kidnappers along a major road in Dekina Local Government Area.
The victims, made up of eight men and 13 women, were rescued on Monday following a coordinated operation involving troops of the Nigerian Army’s 12 Brigade, the police, the State Security Service, local hunters and vigilante groups.
The operation was launched after security authorities received reports of the abduction of road users along the Alloma-Ejule-Itobe road.
According to the state government, security personnel, acting on intelligence, combed forest areas around Egume and Ochaja before locating and freeing the victims.
One of the rescued men reportedly sustained a gunshot injury and was taken to a medical facility for treatment.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of collaboration among security agencies and other local security groups.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the security agencies for their response to the incident.
Ododo warned criminal elements operating in the state, saying, “Criminals will always regret stepping their feet on Kogi State. We will never wag our tails before cowards who take arms against the state.”
He added that the state remained prepared to confront threats to the lives and property of its residents.
The government further commended the National Security Adviser, Chief of Army Staff, Inspector-General of Police, Director-General of the Department of State Services, Chief of Naval Staff and Chief of Air Staff for their roles in the rescue operation.
The latest development comes amid a series of kidnapping incidents along roads and forest corridors in Kogi State.
In a related incident, 15 National Youth Service Corps members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja were abducted on August 28. President Tinubu later announced on August 31 that all 15 corps members, alongside six other abducted persons, had been rescued from a kidnappers’ hideout in Ofu Local Government Area.
The state government urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible information to security agencies to support efforts to curb kidnapping and other violent crimes.
