By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Lokoja
Bandits on Sunday abducted four motorcycle riders along the Odo-Ogbe community road in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The incident, which occurred around 2pm, has heightened fears among residents already grappling with repeated attacks in the area.
Locals said the victims were travelling on motorcycles when armed men emerged from the bush and mounted a barricade on the rural road.
The attackers reportedly intercepted the riders, halted their movement and forced them into the forest at gunpoint.
One of the victims was identified as a popular youth in the community known as Oju Lari.
Residents said abductions along rural roads in the axis have become frequent, leaving many communities anxious and unsafe.
“We are perpetually living in fear here,” said Adeboye Adebambo, an Egbe resident. “The young men were riding in the afternoon when they ran into the bandits’ barricade and were abducted under gun threat.”
He added that although security forces had been deployed to the area, including aerial surveillance, the criminals “still operate with impunity.”
Communities along the Kogi–Kwara boundary have witnessed a surge in attacks in recent weeks, with kidnappers targeting travellers and locals.
Kidnapping has reportedly become a daily occurrence, with several travellers seized during transit.
Efforts to reach the Kogi State Police Command spokesperson, CSP William Aya, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages to his mobile phone went unanswered.