Security forces have killed four suspected kidnappers and rescued 15 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and six other abductees in Kogi State.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Naziru Kankarofi, disclosed this on Tuesday while appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

Kankarofi said security agencies launched an immediate search-and-rescue operation after receiving reports of the abduction, with commanders of the military, police and Department of State Services (DSS) meeting to coordinate the operation.

He said the security team later narrowed its search to a specific location and enlisted the support of local vigilantes and hunters familiar with the terrain.

According to him, the operation reached the kidnappers’ camp at about 4:00 p.m. on Monday, resulting in a fierce gun battle.

“There was a serious gun battle; they were eventually overpowered, and all the corps members were rescued,” he said.

The commissioner, however, disclosed that one corps member and a civilian abducted from another vehicle sustained gunshot injuries to their right legs during the operation.

He said the corps members were travelling from Bayelsa State when they were attacked around 5:00 p.m. along the Itobe–Ajaokuta Highway after entering Kogi State.

“They were attacked and abducted into the bush alongside passengers from another vehicle coming from the opposite direction,” Kankarofi said.

He added that four of the abductors were killed during the exchange of gunfire, while several others escaped with bullet wounds.

“Four of the kidnappers were killed during the exchange of fire, and several escaped with bullet wounds,” he said, noting that security personnel were continuing their search of the area to apprehend the fleeing suspects.

Kankarofi said police, military and DSS personnel, alongside local hunters, remained deployed at the scene, while neighbouring security commands in Enugu State had been alerted to block possible escape routes.

The rescue operation involved personnel from the police, military, DSS and other auxiliary security forces.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, had also confirmed that the 15 corps members and six other victims were rescued from Egume Forest in Ofu Local Government Area of the state following a coordinated security operation.

Reacting to concerns over insecurity in the state, Kankarofi urged residents and travellers to remain calm, describing the abduction as an isolated incident.

“Kogi State has been generally peaceful and calm. The security forces here are very effective and respond promptly,” he said.

He also assured travellers that the state remained safe, urging them to feel free to travel through Kogi without fear.