joint operation by 12 Brigade, Police, DSS, hunters, and vigilantes rescues 21 people abducted along the Alloma-Ejule-Itobe road, recovering all victims from the Egume and Ochaja forests in Kogi State.
Dekina, Kogi State — August 31, 2026
Troops of 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, in a coordinated operation with the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, local hunters, and vigilante groups, have rescued 21 people kidnapped from the Egume and Ochaja forest areas of Dekina Local Government Area, Kogi State.
The operation followed reports of a mass abduction of road users along the Alloma–Ejule–Itobe road axis. Acting on credible intelligence, troops mobilised from Headquarters 21 Battalion alongside other security agencies, hunters, and vigilantes to conduct a coordinated search of the surrounding forests.
The joint team successfully rescued all 21 kidnapped victims 8 males and 13 females, from the forest areas. One male victim sustained a gunshot wound during the operation and was promptly evacuated to a medical facility for treatment.
The rescued victims remain in the custody of troops while arrangements are made to hand them over to the appropriate authorities.
Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, commended the troops and personnel of other security agencies, along with the local hunters and vigilantes involved, for their courage, cooperation, and commitment in securing the victims' safe rescue.
He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue providing timely, credible information to support ongoing efforts against kidnapping and other criminal activity.
The rescue adds to a string of mass-kidnapping incidents recorded along Kogi's highway corridors in recent weeks, including twin rescue operations earlier this month that freed 25 abducted commuters along the nearby Ojuwo–Ajengo–Memarebo and Ajaokuta–Itobe roads.
The recurring scale and coordination of these attacks continue to underscore the persistent vulnerability of travelers along Kogi's rural highway network, even as joint security operations have repeatedly succeeded in securing victims' release.
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