A minimum of nine people, including a woman and her three children, were kidnapped in Kogi State after gunmen attacked Inele-Ugoh village in Igah Ikeje, Olamaboro LGA, on Friday morning.
The woman and her children were reportedly traveling to another community for a burial when armed men intercepted them and took them into the forest. Five others were abducted from nearby farms. Witnesses said the attackers, numbering over 40, were heavily armed, forcing local vigilantes to retreat.
Troops from the Nigerian Army’s 12 Brigade responded to distress calls but arrived after the gunmen had fled.
The incident adds to a recent surge in kidnappings across the state, including an attack on an ECWA church in Aiyetoro Kiri, Kabba/Bunu LGA, where over 20 worshippers, including children, were abducted and one person killed.
