Bandits ∆bduct Kwara couple, Army r£scues Kogi v!ctims

Bandits abduct Kwara couple, Army rescues Kogi victims

Suspected bandits on Niinvaded Lafiagi, the headquarters of Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting a husband and wife in the latest attack to hit the community barely 48 hours ago.

The PUNCH gathered that the attack occurred around midnight on Thursday near the Provost Lodge area of the town, where the gunmen stormed a residence and whisked away the couple to an unknown destination.

However, troops of 12 Brigade Nigerian Army under 2 Division Nigerian Army rescued two victims following a swift response to a kidnapping incident in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The abduction and rescue incidents reflect ongoing developments across the country, with bandits unleashing terror on communities while the military continues efforts to rescue victims.

Sources in the Kwara community identified the victims as a Fulani couple resident in the neighbourhood before the incident.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said the attackers operated under the cover of darkness and escaped with the victims before security operatives could intervene.

“The gunmen came around 12 a.m. and abducted a Fulani man and his wife from their residence near the Provost Lodge. They took them away, and nobody knows where they have been taken.

“The victim is related to Wudere, the Fulani leader the attackers were looking for during the last attack. Many people believe the incidents may be connected,” the source added.

Recall that on Monday, suspected bandits attacked a Fulani settlement in the Sodo/Sawmill area on the outskirts of Lafiagi, killing one resident and abducting two women.

The attackers were said to have stormed the settlement at about 8 p.m, firing sporadically and forcing residents to flee for safety.

According to community sources, the gunmen had targeted a Fulani leader, identified as an Ardo, but failed to locate him during the operation.

After failing to find their target, the assailants reportedly abducted two women believed to be wives of the Fulani leader before fleeing the area.

A resident was also shot dead during the attack.

Confirming the Monday incident, the state Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said one person was killed while two women were abducted.

“Yes, one man was killed while two women, 25 and 35 years of age, who are wives of the Seriki Fulani, were abducted,” Ojo said.

The police commissioner explained that preliminary investigations showed that the attackers had specifically come after the Fulani leader but were unable to capture him.

“The attackers targeted the Fulani leader, Ardo. And for now, we are still on their trail because before we got there, the military had repelled them, and they ran into the forest, but we are on their trail,” he stated.

The Kogi rescue occurred in the late hours of 3 June 2026 when terrorists invaded a residence near Solid Rock School in Ijalu, Egbe and abducted five members of a family, including a woman, her infant child and three others.

This was the second time within the week following a similar operation on Monday, June 1, when troops rescued 23 kidnapped passengers during a counter operation along the Ayegunle–Bunu Road in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of the state.

Troops of 12 Brigade under 2 Division Nigerian Army, on May 30, also thwarted a planned kidnapping operation and neutralised a terrorist during an ambush conducted in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Lt Hassan Abdullahi, stated that “Upon receiving the distress report, troops immediately mobilised in conjunction with members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), launching a pursuit operation along the terrorists’ withdrawal route.

“The sustained pressure mounted by the security team forced the terrorists to abandon Mrs Adekemi Idowu and her six-month-old child near the Oro axis before fleeing into the surrounding area.

“The rescued victims were safely returned to their residence, while troops have continued aggressive search operations aimed at rescuing the remaining victims and apprehending the perpetrators.”

He said that the Nigerian Army remained committed to protecting lives and property and urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to support ongoing security operations.