Gunmen abduct Kogi APC youth leader and wife from their home
- Armed men took Arome Adaji, APC youth leader of Ogbabede Ward in Dekina LGA, and his wife Justina from their Abocho home.
- Residents said gunfire around 8pm on Wednesday kept neighbours indoors until the attackers left.
- A community leader said kidnappers in Kogi East are shifting from highways to homes and farms.
Gunmen have abducted the All Progressives Congress (APC) youth leader of Ogbabede Ward in Abocho District, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Arome Adaji, and his wife, Justina.
The attack happened at about 8pm on Wednesday at the couple's home on Ajegwuna Road in Abocho, according to accounts from residents. Adaji is also known in the community as Iron Gate.
A resident, who gave his name as Ndamodu, said the couple were relaxing at home when gunshots rang out around the house. He said fear of stray bullets kept neighbours indoors, and it was only after the gunmen left that people came out and found the couple gone.
The Kogi State Police Command has not confirmed the details. Its spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, replied "noted" when asked for comment, according to Daily Trust.
Kidnappers moving off the roads
A community leader, Surveyor Agono Eneogba, said armed gangs in Kogi East have changed tactics. With security operatives, vigilantes and local hunters watching the roads, he said, the kidnappers have turned to homes, farms and farm settlements.
"For weeks now, the armed hoodlums have scaled down activities on roads, focusing on residences and farms," Eneogba said.
He said people are being taken at an alarming rate in those places.
His account comes as other abductions are reported in the area. A few weeks ago, armed men reportedly seized a mother and her four children as they returned from a burial ceremony in the community. The victims were freed after a ransom was paid, according to the reports.
For residents of Abocho and nearby communities, the shift means danger is no longer only on the highway. It now reaches the doorstep, and families are weighing how safe their homes and farms are.
What happens next
There is no word yet on whether the abductors have made contact or demanded a ransom, and the police have not issued a statement on the case. Residents will be watching to see whether security agencies step up patrols in Abocho and other Kogi East communities.
