Kogi kidnapping: Nine people, including a mother and three children, were abducted in Inele-Ugoh as residents demand aerial support.

Gunmen abduct nine people, including a woman and her three children, after they stormed Inele-Ugoh village in Igah Ikeje, Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State on Friday, December 19. 

Residents said the attack took place in the early hours when a large gang overran the community. The woman and her three children were reportedly on their way to a burial when the attackers intercepted them and led them into the forest. Five other victims were taken from farms nearby. 

An eyewitness told reporters the sheer number of armed men estimated at more than 40 and the weapons they carried prevented local vigilantes from mounting an effective resistance. 

After the raid, residents alerted troops of the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, which maintains a checkpoint in the area. Soldiers arrived at the scene, but sources say the abductors had already fled into the forest by then. 

Security teams and local vigilantes have since begun combing surrounding forests for the victims. But residents and community security officials warned that ground operations alone may be insufficient without aerial support. 

reported cases of kidnapping in the country is on the rise.

A community police source described the criminal group as highly mobile, often moving captives between locations to avoid capture. 

The source called for drones or police helicopters from Lokoja to help trace the abductors’ movements. “Ground troops alone may not succeed without aerial support,” the source said. 

Neighbourhood watch members in Kogi East said kidnappers have stepped up raids in Olamaboro in recent weeks, with attackers reportedly crossing in from neighbouring states and operating both day and night.

Locals are demanding stronger security deployment and coordinated aerial surveillance from state and federal authorities. 

Authorities have yet to confirm the identities of the abductors or provide an update on rescue efforts. 

Residents fear for the victims’ safety as the Christmas period approaches and urged faster, better-coordinated action to recover those taken.