Tension has swept across the Federal Civil Service following the abduction of six senior officials from the Ministry of Defence who were waylaid by armed assailants on the Kabba-Lokoja expressway in Kogi State.
The directors, all serving at Command Day Secondary School in Ojo, Lagos, were seized on Monday, November 10, 2025, while traveling from Lagos to Abuja to participate in a directorate-level promotion examination. Witnesses described the incident as a carefully orchestrated ambush that forced the convoy to a halt.
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, representing staff of the Ministry of Defence, identified the abducted officials as Mrs. Ngozi Ibeziakor, Mrs. C.A. Emeribe, Mrs. C. Helen Ezeakor, Mrs. C.A. Ladoye, Mrs. J.A. Onwuzurike, and Mrs. Catherine O. Essien.
In a statement issued by ASCSN President Comrade Shehu Mohammed and Secretary-General Comrade Joshua Apebo, the union strongly condemned the attack and confirmed that rescue operations were already underway. The Defence Ministry has mobilized specialized security teams to search suspected hideouts across Kogi State.
The civil servants’ union reiterated its longstanding call for the Federal Civil Service Commission to decentralize promotion examinations, conducting them within states rather than requiring employees to undertake hazardous journeys to Abuja. “The current security challenges and deplorable state of highways expose workers to unnecessary danger,” the statement emphasized.
The Kabba-Lokoja highway has become notorious for kidnappings and ambushes, with this latest incident intensifying fears among government workers traveling for official assignments.
Nasarawa Communities Under Siege
In a separate but equally disturbing development, three young men from the Migili community in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State have been killed by suspected bandits.
The victims were ambushed along the Gidan-Raid Road while on an errand to deliver news of an elder statesman’s death to relatives in a neighboring community. Among those killed was Prince James Delle Iwala, son of the late HRH Chief Jonathan Gule Iwala, a prominent Migili traditional ruler who passed away in March 2024. The other victims were identified as Tailor Gayu and Andy Zona Zacharia.
The murders occurred shortly after another deadly attack in Sarkin Noma, a nearby community, where two youths were shot dead and one resident abducted. The abductee, identified as Mr. Mathew Anzaku, remains in captivity.
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has ordered security agencies to launch a full-scale manhunt for the perpetrators, describing the violence as “unacceptable and a direct threat to the peace and stability of the state”. The governor’s directive was issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Mr. Peter Ahemba.
A legal practitioner from the area raised alarm that communities like Amurayi, Antsa, Doshima, Agbogio, and Gidan Mdza have been displaced due to persistent attacks, with residents fleeing their ancestral homes.
The three victims from Duduguru received a mass burial ceremony in their community amid widespread grief. Residents have expressed frustration over what they perceive as inadequate government response to the escalating violence that has ravaged rural communities in recent months.
Community leaders noted that the latest incident marked the 12th attack on Sarkin Noma in recent times, reflecting a disturbing pattern of violence that has left residents in constant fear.
As both incidents continue to unfold, security agencies face mounting pressure to address the deteriorating safety situation on major highways and in vulnerable rural communities across Nigeria’s North Central region.