Bandits Strike Kogi Road: Passengers Vanish from 18-Seater Bus in Daylight Attack
By: Abudu Olalekan
They came out of nowhere. One moment, passengers were chatting on their way to Obajana. The next? Chaos.
Thursday afternoon turned into a nightmare on the Osokoko-Obajana road in Kogi State when bandits struck hard. Two commercial 18-seater buses found themselves in the crosshairs. One escaped. The other didn’t.
Picture this scene: families traveling, traders heading to market, students going home. Normal people living normal lives. Then gunmen emerged from the bushes. The first bus – completely overwhelmed. Every single passenger taken. Just like that. Gone.
The second bus driver? He floored it and got away. Lucky doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Nobody knows exactly how many people got snatched. Eyewitnesses say everyone on that trapped bus was taken, but official numbers? Still waiting. The uncertainty is killing families who haven’t heard from their loved ones.
Here’s where it gets interesting though. The Nigerian Army showed up fast. Real fast. Soldiers engaged the bandits in a firefight that had travellers ducking for cover along the highway. A video that went viral shows people waiting by the roadside – scared, confused, but alive – while the military cleared the area.
“Road don clear, all thanks to the Nigerian Army, everybody don dey go back,” a woman announced in the footage. Relief mixed with fear in her voice. You could hear it.
This isn’t just some isolated incident either. Just yesterday, bandits hit Kiri High School in Aiyetoro Kiri. They stormed in during the early morning hours, trying to grab students. The local vigilante group – those brave souls – they rushed in and saved every single kidnapped student. But it cost them. One vigilante died defending those kids. A Hausa man also lost his life. Heroes and victims in the same breath.
The Osokoko-Obajana road has become a danger zone. Residents are warning drivers: find another route. Don’t risk it. Not until security forces say its safe. But when will that be? Nobody knows.
What we’re seeing here is part of something bigger. More than 400 people – mostly schoolchildren – have been kidnapped across north-central Nigeria since mid-November. The UN is condemning it. Religious leaders worldwide are speaking out. Yet here we are, another day, another attack.
The authorities haven’t released an official statement about Thursday’s incident. Typical. But locals confirm the soldiers did prevent more casualties. Small victories in a larger war against insecurity.
Think about those passengers for a moment. They woke up Thursday morning, kissed their families goodbye, got on that bus. Regular people with regular plans. Now their families are waiting, praying, hoping. Some might never come home.
The military response was swift – credit where it’s due. But the fact that bandits can still attack a major road in broad daylight? That tells you everything about the security situation in Kogi State. These armed gangs operate like they own the highways. Maybe they do.
Local sources from Egbe Mekun Parrot confirmed the vigilante rescue operation at the school was successful. Every student saved. But at what cost? Communities are defending themselves because they have too. The government’s protection feels like a distant promise.
The woman in that viral video – she thanked the army for clearing the road. But you could hear the exhaustion in her voice. How many more times will they have to thank soldiers for doing what should be unnecessary? For keeping roads safe that should never be dangerous?
This is Kogi State’s reality now. Bandits strike, soldiers respond, people pray they’re not next. The cycle continues. And somewhere tonight, families are waiting for news about those 18 passengers who got on the wrong bus at the wrong time.
