The Kogi State Police Command has rescued 11 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members after gunmen attacked travellers along a major highway in the state.
The corps members were among passengers abducted after armed men reportedly blocked two buses and forced some of the occupants into a nearby bush.
The incident occurred on Wednesday along the Aloma-Egane Expressway, around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, as the travellers headed towards Abuja from Bayelsa State.
Police spokesperson Saliu Afusat said the rescue operation began after officers received a distress call about the attack, prompting the Divisional Police Officer in Ofu to lead a team to the scene.
She said the officers found a white Hummer bus belonging to Peace Mass Transit and a yellow 18-seater bus at the location before searching the surrounding forest for the abducted passengers.
According to Afusat, the search led to the recovery of 11 corps members who had been taken from the two buses.
She said initial interactions with the rescued corps members showed that most of them were travelling from the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State to Abuja.
Afusat added that the corps members underwent the required security procedures before being allowed to continue their journey.
The police, however, have not established the total number of passengers abducted during the attack or whether any NYSC members or other travellers remain in captivity.
She said the police and other security agencies were using operational and intelligence resources to establish the whereabouts of any missing travellers and identify those responsible for the attack.