Armed Bandits Abduct INEC Staff and Passengers on Aloma Road in Kogi State

Gunmen, suspected to be armed bandits, carried out a brazen attack on Tuesday, abducting three female staff members of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and several other passengers along the Aloma Road in Kogi State. The victims were reportedly on an official assignment, traveling from Abuja to Anambra State to prepare for the upcoming governorship election scheduled for the first week of November.

Dependable NG reports that the assailants, who were operating along the notorious Ajaokuta–Otukpo highway near the Benue border, ambushed the Sienna bus conveying the officials. The bandits reportedly blocked the highway and opened fire on the vehicle, shattering its windscreen. Miraculously, none of the occupants were hit by the bullets, but the INEC staff—identified as Chinenye Oji, Adamaka Anih, and Catherine Temaugee—were forcefully marched into the forest alongside other passengers, including the driver and his wife.

The abducted INEC officials were said to be part of the team deployed to Anambra for the crucial task of printing the voters’ register and other essential election materials. According to sources, the kidnappers later released an elderly woman who had difficulty walking due to an ailment, and the driver was also freed to escort her to the nearest town. The whereabouts of the remaining victims remain unknown as of the time of this report. Efforts to get an official statement from the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer were unsuccessful. The incident highlights the growing security threat along major transit routes in the North Central region, particularly in areas bordering the forest zones of Kogi and Benue.