Gunmen storm Kogi community, abduct Retired Major

A 76-year-old retired Major of the Nigerian Army, Pastor Joe Ajayi, has been abducted by unidentified gunmen from his home in Odo-Ape, located in the Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

Ajayi, who also served as a former chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kabba-Bunu, was reportedly kidnapped around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Eyewitnesses from the community said the attackers arrived heavily armed, unleashing a barrage of gunfire that lasted for over an hour before forcibly taking the retired military officer to an undisclosed location.

Community members have expressed deep concern about Ajayi’s deteriorating health, made more fragile by his age, and the potential risks posed by his captivity.

The abduction has heightened fear in the area and renewed calls for improved security measures.

This incident comes shortly after the Okun Development Association (ODA) raised alarm over the increasing rate of insecurity in Okunland. The ODA had earlier decried the recent abduction of a first-class traditional ruler in Okoloke, Yagba West Local Government Area, urging both federal and state governments, as well as security agencies, to take immediate action.

The latest abduction further underscores the ODA’s concerns and has left the community in a state of shock and anxiety.

Earlier this year, a council member was kidnapped from his residence. Just days later, three other individuals and a child were abducted from a farm in the same community, highlighting the growing threat of insecurity in the region.