Gunmen abducted three motorists along the Okene–Kabba road in Okehi Local Government Area, Kogi , on Monday night at about 10:00 pm. The armed men blocked the road with firewood, forcing vehicles to stop. The victims were identified as Salihu Salaudeen of Usugwe Estate, Shaibu Mohammed of Okene, and Ibrahim Muritala of Lagos. One of the victims' relatives, Salihu Abdulmumuni of Usugwe Estate, reported the incident to the police. Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer in Okehi mobilized patrol teams to the scene, where three vehicles were found abandoned, including a Dyna 200 vehicle with registration number LKJ 389 GYE. Three empty shells of live cartridges were recovered from the scene, while the vehicles were towed to the station for safekeeping.
25 Aug 2025 · Okene–Kabba, Okehi, Kogi
Deaths
0
Injured
0
Kidnapped
3
Total casualties
0
Perpetrators
Unidentified Armed Actors
Response
The Divisional Police Officer in Okehi mobilized patrol teams to the scene. Three vehicles were recovered and towed to the station for safekeeping. Three empty shells of live cartridges were recovered as evidence.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Banditry-for-ransom economy, weak highway security
Trajectory
The incident shows the persistence of highway abductions in Kogi , disrupting mobility and trade along the Okene–Kabba corridor, a major route connecting the North-Central and South-West regions. The use of firewood to block the road demonstrates the simplicity yet effectiveness of the tactic.
Cycle notes
Reflects the ongoing insecurity on major highways in Kogi and neighboring states. The Okene–Kabba road has been a recurring flashpoint for kidnappings, with similar incidents documented throughout 2024 and 2025. The pattern of abducting motorists — particularly commercial drivers — for ransom has become endemic along this corridor.
Pattern
Highway kidnappings
Related — Kidnapping
Gunmen attacked a commercial vehicle along the Itobe–Anyigba road in Adavi LGA, Kogi . The driver escaped, but nine passengers were abducted.
Suspected kidnappers attacked Sarkin Noma community in Keana LGA, Nasarawa State. Two youths were killed during the assault.
In a coordinated secondary strike on the same night as the Ja Jibiri raid, ISWAP militants intercepted a vehicle in the Ladu community, Geidam Local Government Area, Yobe State. The insurgents, operating at approximately 12:20 am, blocked the rural transit path and abducted a commercial driver at gunpoint. The victim was identified as Madu Kura, a 40-year-old driver of a Toyota Hilux. During the same operation, the assailants broke into the Primary Health Care Medical Centre, looting medical consumables and other valuables, and carted away a Golf motor vehicle. Reports indicate the vehicle was likely commandeered for logistics to move looted goods from the raids back to hideouts, or the driver was targeted as a "service provider" to be forced into aiding the group's movements.