Fifteen members of the National Youth Service Corps have been abducted by gunmen while travelling through Kogi State after completing their orientation programme in Bayelsa State.
The corps members, who were part of the 2026 Batch B Stream II set, were returning from the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State when the attackers intercepted their vehicles along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The victims were reportedly travelling towards Abuja when they were stopped by the gunmen on Wednesday.
They were said to have been travelling in a Peace Mass Transit bus and another vehicle belonging to Romchi Mass Transit Limited marked 564.
A relative of one of the abducted corps members told the Foundation for Investigative Journalism that families were alerted to the incident after a police officer, Adeji Joshua, contacted them using information obtained from the passenger manifest.
“According to a police officer who contacted us later that night, the incident occurred around Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State, along the Ofu/Itobe–Onicha-Igo axis. The officer said he obtained our next-of-kin contact from the passengers’ manifest left behind,” the relative said.
The relative identified his brother, Ayodele David, as one of those taken by the gunmen and said the family was concerned about the safety of the victims.
“My brother is among the affected corps members, and our family is deeply worried about his safety, along with that of the other young Nigerians who have been taken,” he said.
Joshua, the police officer who reportedly contacted some of the families, later confirmed the incident. He said the driver of the Peace Mass Transit bus survived the attack but sustained serious injuries and had to be taken to hospital.
According to him, the information provided by the injured driver suggested that the attackers spoke Fulfulde, Hausa and English, although their identities and affiliations remained unclear.
The police officer said two buses were involved in the incident and that the occupants of the second vehicle were largely allowed to leave because several passengers were travelling with babies. However, four people from that vehicle were reportedly taken.
He said the Peace Mass bus had 16 passengers recorded on its manifest but 15 were eventually abducted.
“From the explanation of the driver, who was badly injured, fifteen passengers were kidnapped even though 16 people were listed on the manifest. For the last corps member, the driver told her the bus was full and said he could not add one more passenger, so he had to transfer her to another vehicle,” Joshua said.
He added, “But the rest of them in that bus, which is Peace Mass number 2826, were kidnapped. Meanwhile, the driver was badly injured, and we had to rush him to the hospital immediately. But as of this morning, he is better now.”
A video reportedly recorded at the scene showed evidence that the attackers opened fire before taking the passengers away.
The incident occurred shortly after the affected corps members completed their orientation camp activities in Bayelsa State on Wednesday. They were travelling back to their destinations when the attack occurred.
The NYSC has yet to provide a detailed public account of the incident. Its Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, was contacted for a response and asked whether the Bayelsa State Coordinator, Samuel Amaramiro Pepple, had been contacted.
When asked about the details of the abduction, Embu said, “Let me find out.”
She was subsequently asked when she could provide a response but repeated, “Let me find out.”
Attempts to reach Pepple through a telephone number listed in his name were unsuccessful, as the line was reportedly busy on various occasions.
Efforts to obtain a response from Peace Mass Transit were also unsuccessful. Calls made to the company’s emergency and customer service numbers published on its website could not be connected.
The development also highlights the security risks faced by young Nigerians participating in the compulsory national service scheme, who frequently travel long distances between their states of deployment, orientation camps and places of primary assignment.
In March 2026, the family of another abducted corps member, identified as Abba, reported that they feared he had been killed after his abductors stopped communicating with them despite receiving a N10m ransom.
According to the family, the kidnappers had demanded additional items, including motorcycles, after receiving the ransom, but communication later stopped completely.
“Since receiving the N10 million ransom payment, Abba’s abductors have completely cut off all communication with the family,” the family said.
The family subsequently made arrangements for a funeral prayer in absentia while continuing to hope that the corps member could still be alive.
