The Kogi State Police Command says it has rescued 16 people abducted along the Itobe–Anyigba Highway in Ofu Local Government Area.
The rescue followed a fierce gun battle between security operatives and the kidnappers, during which one vigilante member was killed and a police officer sustained gunshot injuries.
The victims were abducted on Sunday when gunmen intercepted a Peace Mass Transit bus between Ojuwo Ajengo and Mamerebo, along the Itobe–Achigili corridor, a route identified as a hotspot for kidnappers.
The Commissioner of Police in Kogi State, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, told journalists in Lokoja that combined security forces immediately launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to locate the victims and track down their abductors.
The Police Commissioner said the operation would continue until all those involved in the kidnapping were arrested and brought to justice.
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(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
