A combined security operation in Kogi State successfully freed 16 people who had been held captive by suspected bandits. The group, which included four children, had been taken on August 9 while traveling along the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe routes in the Ofu Local Government Area.
Intelligence provided to analyst Zagazola Makama indicated the hostages were spotted near Adumu in the Dekina area by August 10. In response, a joint team involving the 21 Battalion, NNS Lugard, police officers, and local vigilantes mobilized to intercept the kidnappers.
During the ensuing firefight, the captors abandoned their hostages and escaped into the wilderness. Tragically, a member of the hybrid security forces lost his life, and a police officer sustained injuries during the engagement. The rescued individuals—six men, six women, and four children—are now under the protection of the Ajaokuta Division of the Nigeria Police as authorities pursue the remaining suspects.
