A renewed wave of violent attacks has swept through multiple communities across Yagba East and Yagba West Local Government Areas of Kogi State, leaving at least one person dead and no fewer than four residents abducted.
The coordinated assaults, which began on November 30 and stretched into the early hours of December 1, targeted already vulnerable rural settlements repeatedly troubled by kidnappings and armed raids.
In Idofin, armed bandits stormed a Tiv community at night, killing a resident identified as Nicholas. Three women were abducted during the raid, while another victim is still unaccounted for as locals and vigilante teams intensify search efforts.
Residents told Newsmen that the attackers operated unchallenged for several minutes before security operatives arrived.
Another Resident Abducted in Odo-Eri
In another incident in Odo-Eri, a man identified as Ola Abanikanda was seized by suspected bandits. Family members said the abductors briefly contacted them using his phone, but the call dropped as the gunmen — who could not communicate in English — struggled to make their ransom demands understood.
Community members remain tense as they await further information from security authorities.
The latest attacks come barely hours after the Kogi State Government confirmed a Sunday morning raid on a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West.
During the assault, gunmen abducted the pastor popularly known as Orlando, his wife, and several worshippers. Footage obtained by SaharaReporters shows shoes, Bibles, and personal belongings scattered across the church floor.
Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, described the attack as “disturbing and unacceptable,” stating that efforts were underway to rescue the victims. He noted that Ejiba’s location as a border community has made it vulnerable to repeated criminal incursions.
Fanwo also lamented that some religious leaders continue to hold services in isolated, bush-surrounded locations despite ongoing security threats.
Residents in both Yagba East and Yagba West are calling on the state and federal governments to deploy urgent security reinforcements to halt what they describe as an “escalating, coordinated, and unchecked” pattern of attacks.
As of press time, police authorities had yet to issue an official statement regarding the multiple incidents.
Leave a Reply