Kogi Police Launch Massive Manhunt Along Okene-Auchi Road After Kidnapping Incident

The Kogi State Police Command has embarked on an extensive search and rescue operation in the aftermath of a reported kidnapping incident that occurred along the Okene-Auchi Road. According to a statement issued by the Command's spokesperson, ASP Salisu Afusat, on Sunday, the operation involves a collaborative effort between police and military personnel to comb through forest areas suspected to be hideouts of the perpetrators. Immediately after the incident, the Command initiated its rescue response and began conducting intelligence-driven operations across identified forest corridors within the Okene-Ajokuta axis, with a particular focus on the Ebiya Forest and surrounding areas. The operation is being carried out by a team comprising personnel from the Area Command, Okene; 77 Police Mobile Force Squadron, Okene; Okene Division; Adavi Division; Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Kogi State Command; Violent Crime Response Unit; as well as detachments of the Nigerian Army operating from Forward Operating Bases within the area. Additionally, the operation has received operational support from the Edo State Police Command, including its Anti-Kidnapping Unit and other tactical personnel. To prevent the criminal elements from escaping, the Command has strengthened joint operations across the Kogi-Edo border, with security personnel conducting coordinated clearance operations and intelligence-driven patrols in identified forest locations linked to the incident. As the search operation progressed, security teams identified and searched suspected criminal hideouts within the forest, recovering items such as foodstuffs, cooking ingredients, an Army-pattern jungle hat, and a National Identity Card, among other articles believed to have been left behind by the perpetrators. The identified hideouts were subsequently destroyed and set ablaze to prevent their further use by the perpetrators. Although no kidnapped victim was recovered from the locations searched during the initial phase of the operation, security forces have maintained their advance into the forest and adjoining axes in a determined effort to locate and rescue the victims and apprehend those responsible. The operation continued on Saturday, August 8, 2026, with tactical teams advancing towards identified locations of interest along the Ajaokuta and Adoko axes. The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Kankarofi, directed the operational teams to sustain the search and rescue effort until the victims were safely recovered and the perpetrators brought to justice. He assured members of the public that the Command was working closely with sister security agencies and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the perpetrators did not escape the reach of the law. The Command recognizes the anxiety generated by the incident and urges members of the public, particularly residents around the affected areas, to remain calm and vigilant while providing security agencies with timely and credible information that could assist the ongoing operation. The safety and recovery of the victims remain the Command's immediate priority.