Kogi State highway abduction survivor Victor Anyichie has recounted how suspected kidnappers ambushed his bus, forced 16 passengers deep into the forest and demanded individual ransoms before a joint security operation secured their release on Monday, 10 August 2026.
Anyichie gave the account in a video published by News Central after Nigerian security forces rescued six adult men, six adult women and four children who had been abducted along roads in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
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The victims were seized on Sunday, 9 August, when suspected kidnappers attacked commuters travelling along the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe roads.
According to Anyichie, the ambush began after a red Toyota Yaris appeared to manoeuvre around the bus. He said armed men then emerged from the surrounding bush and opened fire.
“When he passed the bus, that was when those guys, that Toyota Yaris, now turned and the boys started coming out from the bushes,” he said.
Anyichie said more than six armed men took part in the attack, with one man whom he identified as the group’s leader firing an AK-47 at the vehicle.
“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,” he said.
The driver initially attempted to manoeuvre away from the attackers, but the kidnappers eventually forced the bus into the forest with its passengers still inside.
“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,” Anyichie recalled.
The survivor said the captors repeatedly moved the victims between different locations, apparently attempting to avoid detection as security forces searched for them.
He said the abducted passengers could hear sirens and gunfire in the distance during their captivity.
“We were hearing sirens outside around eight, nine. So I was telling my guys, maybe these things are rescue guys because we heard like two gunshots that night,” he said.
Anyichie also alleged that the kidnappers had informants and were receiving information that helped them stay ahead of security personnel.
The victims were subsequently assigned different ransom amounts, with the kidnappers allegedly instructing them to contact relatives and seek payment.
“They were telling us, you, 100,000. You, 100 million. You, 17 million. You, 15 million. The children, 20 million,” Anyichie said.
He said he was among those asked to contact relatives and told the kidnappers that his family might be able to raise about N500,000 or slightly more.
Anyichie said the response angered his captors and resulted in him being assaulted.
The situation changed when security forces closed in before the ransom arrangements could progress.
“God came for the rescue. We are rescued swiftly, like no scratch on our bodies,” he said.
One of the captives reportedly attempted to escape before the rescue but was caught by the kidnappers and injured.
The Nigerian Army said the rescue followed intelligence indicating that the victims had been moved towards Adumu Community in Dekina Local Government Area.
A joint team involving the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, vigilantes and local hunters subsequently moved into the area and engaged the suspected kidnappers.
According to the Army, the gunmen abandoned the captives and fled into the surrounding forest after the security forces exchanged fire with them. Some of the fleeing suspects were reportedly wounded.
The operation nevertheless came at a cost. One local hunter was killed during the encounter, while a police officer sustained injuries and was receiving medical treatment.
The rescue brings some relief to the victims and their families after a terrifying period in captivity, but Anyichie’s account also offers a disturbing insight into how organised kidnapping groups operate along vulnerable highway routes.
His description of repeated movements through the forest, alleged informants and differentiated ransom demands suggests a group attempting to maintain control of its captives while monitoring the response of security agencies.
The account also highlights the particular vulnerability of children and other passengers travelling on public roads, where an organised ambush can quickly turn an ordinary journey into a hostage situation.
For the 16 rescued passengers, the immediate ordeal is over, although the psychological impact of the experience may linger long after their return to safety.
The operation also underscores the importance of cooperation between conventional security agencies and local actors such as vigilantes and hunters, whose knowledge of difficult terrain can be crucial during searches for abductors.
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As investigations continue, security agencies are expected to pursue the suspected kidnappers who escaped into the forest and establish how the group planned and carried out the highway ambush.
See video below:
Mariam Balogun is a contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
