Residents of Yagba West Local Government Area in Kogi State are living in fear after armed men suspected to be kidnappers brutally chopped off the hands of three victims without demanding any ransom.
One of the latest victims, Lanlege Adewale from Ogbe town, was reportedly abducted on Saturday near Egbe and later released by his captors with one of his hands cut off. According to local sources, the attackers did not ask for any payment before setting him free, leaving the community shocked and terrified.
Adewale was said to have been kidnapped along with four others—two men and three women—when their vehicle was ambushed on the road between Egbe and Ikoro. The attackers, dressed in military camouflage and armed with AK-47 rifles, took the victims into a forest believed to link Kogi, Ekiti, and Kwara states.
“They used motorcycles to ferry them deep into the bush after stopping their car,” said Olaoye Adeola, a local resident of Egbe. “The attackers wore army uniforms and looked very organized.”
Eyewitnesses and family sources confirmed that Adewale, despite losing a hand and bleeding heavily, managed to survive and reach help. Two other victims, including a driver kidnapped weeks earlier, are currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Egbe after suffering similar injuries. One of them is in critical condition and has yet to be identified.
The rising brutality of kidnappers in the area has spread panic among locals. “This is not just kidnapping anymore, it’s something worse,” said Babajide, another Egbe resident. “People are now afraid to travel, even during the day.”
Efforts to reach the Kogi State Police Command for comment were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to the police spokesperson, ASP William Aya, went unanswered at the time of filing this report.
The recent wave of violence has raised fresh concerns about insecurity in Kogi’s western region, especially in communities bordering other states, where forested areas provide cover for criminal gangs. Residents are calling on the state and federal governments to intervene urgently and increase security presence in the affected areas.
