Panic has gripped residents of Kogi State after gunmen abducted two people in a renewed raid just days after the kidnapping of a pastor and several members of his family in the same area, according to local media reports.
The latest attack was reported in Odo-Eri community in Yagba West Local Government Area, where armed men allegedly stormed the settlement in the evening, firing shots to scare residents before taking two men away to an unknown destination. Community sources identified the victims as Deji Ajigbewu and Abayomi Oloniyo Odole.
Residents said the abductions came less than 48 hours after another raid in which a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, along with his wife, children and several other villagers, was kidnapped by suspected bandits. Reports said the earlier attackers arrived on motorcycles and fled through a route leading toward neighbouring Kwara State.
Locals described rising fear and frustration, saying repeated appeals to authorities had brought little relief. Some residents reportedly said churches had suspended services and families were considering leaving the community because of worsening insecurity.
Kogi, particularly communities near forest corridors linking central and western Nigeria, has faced repeated kidnappings and armed raids as criminal gangs exploit weak rural security presence. Abductions for ransom remain a persistent threat across several Nigerian states.
Police had not immediately announced arrests in connection with the latest incident, though security agencies were said to be intensifying search operations in the area.
The renewed violence has deepened anxiety in Kogi, where residents say daily life, worship and travel are increasingly overshadowed by fear of another attack.
