Segun Atanda/
Youths in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Friday staged a protest over worsening insecurity following the death of three members of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) who were abducted by suspected kidnappers despite the payment of a ransom reported to be as high as N16 million.
The protest began at about 8am, with youths blocking the Kabba–Lokoja Expressway to express anger over confirmation that only four of the seven abducted church members returned alive.
According to community accounts, the survivors were released in a severely weakened and traumatised state, while three others, including elderly women, died in captivity.
Reports circulating on X, accompanied by images from the protest, showed demonstrators chanting “Enough is Enough” as they accused the government and security agencies of failing to stem repeated kidnappings in Kogi West.
One widely shared post stated that the protest was triggered after residents realised that “some victims did not make it out alive” despite ransom payments.
While some early social media reports put the ransom figure at N14 million, multiple community sources, including posts by Kogi-based civic accounts, insisted that N16 million was raised and handed over before the release of the four survivors.
The conflicting figures have added to public frustration and mistrust surrounding the handling of kidnapping cases in the area.
About an hour into the protest, police officers arrived at the scene and fired tear gas to disperse the youths, forcing them to flee and allowing traffic to resume along the highway.
Images and eyewitness accounts shared online corroborated the use of tear gas, although the Kogi State Police Command had not issued an official statement at the time of filing this report.
Residents said one of the deceased victims was found in an advanced state of decomposition after reportedly being abandoned in the forest for several days, making it impossible to convey the body to a morgue.
Those who survived were said to have suffered beatings, torture and prolonged starvation while in captivity.
A female survivor is currently receiving medical care.
Community members also referenced a recent kidnapping in Odo-Ape involving a retired army major, where ransom negotiations reportedly continued even after the victim had died, as further evidence of the deteriorating security situation across the region.
Although four ECWA members have been released, residents say uncertainty persists, as kidnappers are still allegedly making additional demands in related cases.
This has deepened fear and anger in communities already grappling with frequent abductions along highways and in rural settlements.
Kabba-Bunu and other parts of Kogi West have witnessed a surge in kidnappings in recent months, mirroring Nigeria’s wider insecurity crisis.
Protesters warned that unless decisive action is taken to halt the killings and abductions, public outrage would continue to escalate.
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