Six abducted on Kwara-Kogi border as security forces mount joint rescue operation
Security agencies across Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti states are searching for six people reportedly abducted along the Eruku-Iyemero Road, renewing concern over security around communities that straddle the three-state border.
Among those abducted are a couple who were returning from their engagement ceremony in Eruku, Kwara State, on Saturday evening, according to police-confirmed reports.
The couple and four other travellers were reportedly intercepted along the Iyemero-Eruku axis after their vehicle took a route towards Iyamoye in Kogi State.
Three states join rescue effort
Kwara State Commissioner of Police Adekimi Ojo confirmed the abduction and said soldiers had joined efforts to locate the victims and apprehend those responsible.
He said police operatives from Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti were coordinating because the incident occurred around border communities linking the three states.
The vehicle carrying the travellers was later found at an abandoned police station in Ayetoro, Ekiti State, according to the commissioner.
In the latest reports available to IDNN, published September 28, authorities had not announced the rescue or release of the six victims.
Their condition and whereabouts therefore remained publicly unresolved in those reports.
Abductions keep pressure on border routes
The incident has again drawn attention to security along parts of the Kwara-Kogi corridor, where other abductions have been reported in recent months.
In July, authorities said nine abducted people were rescued during a joint security operation in Kwara’s Ekiti Local Government Area near the Kogi border.
In August, Kogi police also reported the rescue of 11 people after gunmen attacked vehicles along the Aloma-Egane Expressway while security personnel continued searching for other victims.
Those cases do not establish that the same group or network carried out the different attacks.
They do, however, underline continuing public-safety pressure along vulnerable interstate routes.
Beyond rescue, the security question remains
For the abducted travellers and their families, the immediate concern is their safe recovery.
For the authorities, the wider accountability question is what measures are in place to reduce repeated abductions along vulnerable interstate routes — and how effectively security commands coordinate before attacks occur.
IDNN will continue to monitor official information on the victims’ status, the rescue effort and any arrests connected to the abduction.
