Kidnappers ambushed Kogi bus, demanded N100m ransom, rescued victim recounts

A harrowing account has emerged from Victor Anyichie, a survivor of a bus abduction in Nigeria's Kogi State, detailing how armed assailants ambushed commuters and demanded substantial ransoms. The incident occurred on August 9, 2026, when suspected kidnappers attacked a bus traveling along the Ojuwo–Ajengo–Memarebo and Ojiwo–Itobe roads in the Ofu Local Government Area.

“

When he passed the bus, that was when those guys, that Toyota Yaris, now turned and the boys started coming out from the bushes.

Anyichie described how the kidnappers, emerging from the bush after a vehicle seemingly blocked their path, surrounded the bus. Led by an individual wielding an AK-47, the group forced the passengers and their vehicle deep into the forest. The victims were repeatedly moved to evade security forces, whose sirens and gunshots could be heard in the distance.

“

One of them, I will always recognise his face, even if I’m sleeping. He was the one with the AK-47 shooting up. He was their leader.

"They were telling us, you, 100,000. You, 100 million. You, 15 million. The children, 20 million," Anyichie recounted, detailing the ransom demands. He was tasked with contacting relatives, informing the kidnappers that his family could raise approximately N500,000, which led to him being beaten.

“

They took us from there, our bus inside the bush, far away. We were going very, very far. But inside that bush, we could be hearing buses passing.

Fortunately, a joint security operation involving the Nigerian Army, Navy, Police, vigilantes, and local hunters successfully rescued all 16 victims. The group comprised six adult males, six adult females, and four children. The Army reported that the rescue involved a gun battle with the kidnappers.

“

They were telling us, you, 100,000. You, 100 million. You, 15 million. The children, 20 million.