One of the victims rescued from kidnappers along the Ojuwo–Ajengo–Memarebo and Ojiwo–Itobe roads in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Joshua Daniel, has recounted how he narrowly escaped death and bled through the night after sustaining a deep cut during his abduction.
Daniel was among the victims rescued by troops of the Nigerian Army in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, local vigilantes and hunters following the attack on commuters.
According to a statement signed by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele, the victims were abducted on Sunday, August 9, 2026, when armed criminals attacked commuters along the roads.
The Army said the joint security team subsequently established contact with the fleeing kidnappers and engaged them in a fierce firefight.
“Overwhelmed by the superior firepower and coordinated assault of the security forces, the criminals abandoned all their captives and escaped into the surrounding forest with gunshot wounds,” the statement said.
Speaking at the Kogi State Police Command on Tuesday, Daniel narrated how he escaped from one of the abductors who pursued him after he attempted to flee.
“The incident happened after they (abductors) already had control over us. I saw a little space, then I decided to run. I ran into a nearby bush, then I fell. So, one of them who was chasing me brought a knife to cut my head. So I blocked it with one of my hands; that is when the cutlass landed here and cut my vein. So, I was bleeding throughout the night.
“But the bleeding stopped this morning when I got some herbs and put them on the wound before the bleeding stopped,” he said.
Asked whether the abductors were Fulani men, Daniel said the group comprised individuals who spoke Igala, Fulani and Hausa.
“Fulani, Kogi… one of them is named Peter. They spoke Igala, Fulani and Hausa,” he said.
He suggested that the use of different languages may have been intended to prevent the captives from understanding the abductors’ communication.
Daniel thanked the security operatives for rescuing them, saying they arrived in time and that no captive was killed during the operation.
He, however, commiserated with the family of a local hunter who participated in the rescue operation but was killed during the encounter. A police officer also sustained injuries.
“Even when I had this cut on my hand, I helped in carrying the officer from where we were held captive to the main road where we entered the car. My hand was swelling,” Daniel said.
Another rescued victim, Ngozi Stephen, recounted how the kidnappers used her fluency in Hausa to communicate ransom demands to other captives.
She said the abductors instructed her to tell the victims how much ransom they were expected to pay, with demands ranging from N50 million to N100 million.
“So they told me, tell this person N50 million, tell this person N100 million, tell this person N70 million. That was how they were sharing it.
“So I would tell them, okay, this is what they said, this is the amount they said you should bring.
“Even me, they said N70 million. So even when I tried to plead and ask them to reduce it a little, they threatened to beat me up because they were beating people and all that,” she said.
Stephen said the abductors also threatened to sell the captives to ritualists if their ransom demands were not met.
“At some point, they were even threatening that if we were not able to provide the money, they would just sell us to ritualists and all that,” she said.
She said the kidnappers fled after hearing gunshots from the security operatives, abandoning a bag containing phones and laptops collected from the victims.
“We were able to get back our phones. We were also able to get back the laptops. Thank God. We are now safe.”
The Army later clarified that all 16 victims were rescued, comprising six adult males, six adult females and four children.
It said the rescued victims were undergoing documentation and medical assessment before being reunited with their families.
The Army commended the security personnel and local stakeholders involved in the operation, describing the coordinated effort as a demonstration of the effectiveness of joint operations in tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes.
It also urged residents to remain vigilant and continue providing security agencies with timely and credible information on suspicious activities.
