Gunmen Abduct APC Youth Leader and Wife in Kogi’s Dekina LGA

By: Tunji Okunlola

Armed men have reportedly kidnapped Arome Adaji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Leader of Ogbabede Ward in Abocho District, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, together with his wife, Justina Arome, from their home.

The attack reportedly happened at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday along Ajegwuna Road in Abocho. Community accounts say the gunmen fired repeatedly as they entered the street, forcing residents to flee, and then took the couple away.

What residents say

A resident who gave his name as Ndamodu said Adaji, also known as “Iron Gate,” and his wife were relaxing at home when gunfire broke out around the house. Residents stayed indoors for fear of being hit by crossfire or stray bullets, and only came out after the attackers had left, when they found that the couple had been taken.

A shift in tactics

Community leader Surveyor Agono Eneogba said armed groups have been moving their attacks from roads to homes, farms and farm settlements across Kogi East. According to him, security personnel, vigilantes and local hunters have stepped up surveillance on the roads, and for several weeks the gunmen have scaled back road attacks and turned to residences and farms, where “they are abducting people at an alarming rate,” he said.

His account follows reports of other abductions in the area. A few weeks ago, armed men reportedly seized a woman and her four children as they returned from a burial ceremony in the community. They were reportedly released after a ransom was paid.

Police response

Asked for comment, Kogi State Police Command spokesperson ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat replied with a single word: “noted.”