Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have reportedly adopted a new level of brutality in Kogi State, severing the hands of their victims before releasing them, without demanding any ransom.
The most recent incident involved Lanlege Adewale, a resident of Ogbe, a town neighboring Egbe in Yagba West Local Government Area. According to local sources, Adewale was abducted on Saturday and later released after his hand was chopped off by the assailants. Shockingly, no ransom was requested by the kidnappers.
Two other victims, including a commercial driver and another individual whose identity remains unknown, are currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Egbe after suffering similar gruesome injuries. Both are reportedly in critical condition.
Adewale and four others were kidnapped when their vehicle was ambushed along the Egbe–Ikoro road, a route that connects communities in the border areas of Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti States. Eyewitnesses say the attackers, dressed in military fatigues and wielding AK-47 rifles, flagged down the vehicle before whisking away the occupants—three women and two men—into a dense forest on motorcycles.
The victims were taken deep into the bush, an area notorious for criminal activities and difficult terrain, making rescue efforts nearly impossible. A relative of Adewale, speaking anonymously, expressed shock that he survived after being left to bleed for hours in the forest following the amputation of his hand.
Another source confirmed that the unidentified victim is still battling for his life in the hospital, unable to speak or provide details of the incident.
The attacks have sparked widespread fear across Yagba communities. Residents say this pattern of mutilation and release without ransom marks a dangerous escalation in the modus operandi of kidnappers in the region.
Local resident Babajide described the situation as alarming, saying, "We are not safe anymore. This is beyond kidnapping for money—this is terror. The government must act now before things get worse."
Security agencies are yet to issue an official statement, but the incident has intensified calls for urgent action to address the growing wave of violence and insecurity in the area.
