A night of spiritual devotion turned into sheer horror on Friday when unknown gunmen launched a coordinated attack on a mountain-top vigil in the Egbola area along Agbaja Road, within Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State. The assailants abducted several worshippers in the dead of night, marking yet another grim chapter in the rising wave of insecurity plaguing Nigeria’s North Central region.
According to eyewitness reports, the heavily armed attackers stormed the remote prayer location under the cover of darkness, indiscriminately opening fire to instill fear and disarray among worshippers gathered for the night vigil. Amid the chaos, multiple worshippers were forcibly taken into the surrounding forest.
One of the abducted victims, identified as Mary Adams Gure, was rescued during a daring counteroffensive mounted by local vigilantes who responded rapidly to distress alerts from community members.
“They came shooting to scare everyone. People were running in different directions. Some were captured and taken away into the forest,” a local resident said, speaking under anonymity.
The successful rescue of Gure reportedly followed a fierce gun duel between the vigilante group and the kidnappers. According to sources within the security outfit, Gure managed to escape during the commotion and was later found by the search party.
“The vigilantes were mobilised quickly and engaged the gunmen in a gunfight. In the process, Mary Gure was rescued. A search-and-rescue operation is ongoing to find the remaining victims,” a member of the vigilante team confirmed.
As of press time, the exact number of abducted worshippers remains unknown. Efforts to get an official response from the Kogi State Police Command proved unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to Police Public Relations Officer, ASP William Aya, went unanswered.
This incident adds to a disturbing trend of targeted attacks on religious gatherings, places of worship, and other perceived soft targets across Kogi State and other North Central states. Security analysts have repeatedly warned of the porous nature of rural and semi-urban areas, which are increasingly becoming hotspots for kidnappings-for-ransom, banditry, and armed insurgencies.
Community leaders and civil society organizations have called on the federal and state governments to urgently strengthen rural security architecture, deploy surveillance technology, and empower local security networks to repel further attacks.
As security operatives intensify their search for the remaining abductees, residents of Egbola and surrounding communities continue to live in fear, hoping for swift justice and the safe return of all captives.
