Kogi Kidnapping Escape: Student Narrates Harrowing Trek Through Bush. A kidnapped victim in Kogi State, Nigeria, named Ojaja Joseph, shared his scary story of escaping after bandits took him and other travelers into the bush.
Joseph, a student from Benue State, was on a bus heading to Abuja for a work training program when the attack happened on Thursday along the Osokoko–Obajana Road.
The kidnappers stopped the bus and forced everyone to walk into the bush. “We crossed different rivers, like seven in total. One was very deep with trees around it,” Joseph said in a video shared online.
The bandits carried big guns, including one so heavy they put it on a bike to use.
They treated people roughly if they didn’t follow orders.
As it got dark, Joseph hid in the bush to escape. When he came out later that night in Osokoko village, he met three men who seemed helpful at first. They asked about the attackers, like if they came on bikes and how many there were.
But Joseph overheard them calling the kidnappers in Kabba language (he understands some Yoruba), complaining about letting someone get away.
He realized they were working with the bandits. The men told him to sit, but he said he needed the toilet and was shy, so he asked to go a bit farther and then ran for his life.
Joseph observed that the kidnappers operated in a structured way: certain members managed the firearms, while others guided the captives. They also maintained cabins housing their spouses and kids, where the women commended the abductors’ efforts.
He’s thankful to be alive but warns about road dangers in the area. No arrests have been made yet, and Kogi State has seen more kidnappings lately, with bandits demanding money from families.
