Vigilance service officers rescue seven kidnapped victims in Kogi

…Foils kidnapping attempt at Deeper Life Camp

Operatives of the Kogi State Vigilance Service (KSVS) have rescued seven kidnapped victims from a forest hideout after a gun battle with their abductors.

BusinessDay gathered that the rescue took place in Overe forest on Oct. 18, 2026, according to a statement issued by Idris Idris, the State Vigilance Public Relations Officer.

Personnel from the KSVS Okene Command, working with local hunters, launched the operation after acting on intelligence.

The kidnappers, who were holding the seven captives, were said to have opened fire on seeing the operatives, triggering an exchange of gunfire. The Service said its operatives’ superior firepower, however, forced the gunmen to abandon their hostages and flee into the bush, with several of them sustaining bullet wounds, the statement said.

The statement did not give the identities, ages or gender of the freed victims, nor did it say how long they had been held or whether any ransom demand had been made. It also did not report any casualties among the vigilantes or the hunters. The account could not be independently verified.

In a related development, the State Vigilance Service operatives from the Zariagi Sub -Command foiled a kidnapping attempt at about 2:12 a.m on Sunday, targeting a resident of the Deeper Life camp in Zariagi, near Kabba Junction.

The operatives responded swiftly to a distress call and engaged the suspected kidnappers in a gunfight, forcing them to abandon the attempt, the statement said. No arrests were reported.

Ibrahim Usman Anataku, KSVS Comptroller-General, commended the operatives for their performance and urged them to maintain the momentum, lauding Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for his support to the Service, and appealed to members of the public to cooperate by providing timely and actionable intelligence.

Kidnapping for ransom remains a persistent security challenge in parts of Nigeria, including Kogi State, which lies in the country’s North-Central region and borders several States along major transit routes. The State-backed vigilance groups and local hunters frequently support the Police and Military in operations in forest areas.