15 NYSC members, 6 other kidnapped persons rescued in Kogi – Tinubu

Twenty-one kidnapped victims have been rescued in Kogi State, including 15 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). According to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the victims were rescued on Monday afternoon following a coordinated Search and Rescue (SAR) operation involving the military, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), and local vigilantes. The operation led security personnel to the kidnappers' hideout in the forests of Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The rescued victims, who included eight males and 13 females, were kidnapped while traveling from Bayelsa State to Abuja after completing their NYSC orientation camp activities. One of the rescued NYSC members, David Ayodele, recounted how they were intercepted by kidnappers, forced into the bush, and subjected to physical abuse. Ayodele said the kidnappers threatened to keep them in captivity for one month before killing them.

The rescued victims are currently receiving medical treatment before being reunited with their families. According to the Daily Trust, the operation was conducted on August 31, 2026, in the Egume and Ochaja forest areas of Dekina Local Government Area. The Kogi State Police Command reported that the operation was still ongoing, with the potential to rescue all the victims kidnapped in an attack involving two buses recently.

Brief written by urgent.news from Premium Times, Punch, Punch Nigeria, Daily Trust, Daily Post Nigeria — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.