LOKOJA, Nigeria — Local vigilantes and hunters have arrested two suspected kidnappers while they were allegedly dividing ransom money at a hideout in Egabada forest, near the boundary between Kogi and Enugu states.
The suspects, identified as Salisu Ladan and Sumaila Abuh, were reportedly apprehended following a tip-off about the activities of a four-member kidnapping gang operating in the area.
Two other suspects, identified as Babunga and Zafari, escaped during the operation.
The arrests were disclosed in a report published by News Express on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
A community source said the operation was coordinated by the Senior Special Assistant to the Kogi State Governor on Zonal Security for the Idah Federal Constituency.
According to the source, the suspects had collected ransom from a kidnapping victim and released the person before vigilantes and hunters raided their forest hideout.
The source alleged that the four-member gang had been operating around Egabada and Odolu, targeting residents and travellers along the route connecting Kogi and Enugu states.
In a video recorded after their arrest, the two suspects reportedly admitted receiving ₦200,000 from a person abducted during the weekend.
“I came to Egabada community to look for job. I’m a labourer from Lokoja. We only kidnapped one person, and collected N200,000 from him. I carried a cutlass, not gun during the operation. I don’t use gun in operation,” Ladan said.
The circumstances in which the video was recorded and the suspects’ statements were obtained have not been independently established.
The community source said security authorities had taken the arrested men into custody and transferred them to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
Efforts were continuing to locate the two suspects who escaped during the raid.
The Kogi State Police Command had not officially confirmed the arrests when the report was published.
Its spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, did not respond to a request for comment sent by text message.
