Gunmen on Thursday afternoon ambushed two commercial buses along the Osokoko–Obajana highway in Kogi State, successfully abducting every passenger from one 18-seater bus while the second vehicle escaped.
Eyewitnesses said the bandits struck suddenly, blocking the road and forcing one bus to a halt. Nigerian Army personnel arrived minutes later, exchanged fire with the attackers, and drove them into the bush, preventing further abductions.
A widely shared video showed stranded travellers finally moving again after troops declared the route safe. A female passenger was heard saying: “Road don clear, all thanks to the Nigerian Army, everybody don dey go back.”
No deaths or injuries were recorded during the highway operation, but the fate and exact number of those kidnapped remain unclear. Security agencies have not issued an official statement.
According to Sahara Reporters, the attack follows a foiled abduction attempt at Kiri High School in Aiyetoro Kiri, Kabba Bunu LGA, in the early hours of Wednesday, November 26, 2025. Vigilantes rescued all abducted students, though one vigilante member and a Hausa resident were killed.
Travellers have been warned to avoid the Osokoko–Obajana road until further notice as banditry persists in Kogi State. The incidents are part of a surge in mass abductions across north-central Nigeria, with more than 400 people, mainly schoolchildren, kidnapped since mid-November, prompting international condemnation.