By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
Just six days after the kidnapping of 18 passengers traveling from Lagos to Abuja along the Obajana-Lokoja road, unknown gunmen have once again targeted the Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, abducting a councilor and eight others.
According to information provided to journalists, the victims were taken from their communities overnight. Among those kidnapped was Hon. Alaba Ope, a councilor representing Odo-Ape ward in the Kabba-Bunu Local Government Legislative Council, along with eight other individuals.
Reports indicate that the kidnappers struck in the early hours of the morning, around 1 a.m., in Odo-Ape, shooting sporadically to intimidate the residents before abducting their victims.
An anonymous eyewitness revealed that the people of Odo-Ape are now living in constant fear, unsure of who might be the next target. The witness also noted that just days earlier, an 18-passenger bus was ambushed in the same area, and all passengers were kidnapped.
Additionally, the witness confirmed that five individuals from the Gwari tribe, two Bassa persons, and one individual named Silas from Agbadu-Bunu were also kidnapped overnight. The local community is now calling on security agencies and the state government to take immediate action to protect lives and property, as well as to secure the release of those who have been abducted.
This latest kidnapping follows a series of similar incidents in the local government area, including the abduction of two brothers from their family land in Aluju, Kakun, and two other individuals from Odo-Ape. The latter have been in captivity for over nine days.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Kogi State Police Command regarding the incident have so far been unsuccessful, as calls to the Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), SP William Ayah, have not been returned as of the time of filing this report.
