No fewer than 92 Eastern travellers, mostly from the South-East and South-South regions, were allegedly abducted in separate incidents along major highways in Kogi, Ondo and Benue states within two days, raising concerns about the bandits activities in the states.

While 62 of the travellers remained unaccounted for or were feared dead, about 30 others were either rescued or escaped from their abductors, reports said.

The incidents occurred between Sunday, August 9, and Thursday, August 13, 2026.

Also a report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (InterSociety) on Sunday raised the alarm about the attacks, adding that most victims were from the South-East and South-South who were travelling towards destinations including Lagos in the South-West and Abuja in the North-Central.

It said the attacks occurred in at least seven separate incidents around Ore in Ondo State, Otukpo in Benue State, and Okene and Ofu in Kogi State.

InterSociety attributed the attacks to what it described as “Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and their allied Jihadist Fulani Bandits,” alleging that the attackers operated from forests and bushes around the affected highways.

The organisation said at least 60 Eastern travellers were abducted on Sunday, August 9, alone.

It said one of the incidents occurred along the Auchi-Okene Federal Expressway in Kogi State, where passengers travelling in a Sharon bus and a Toyota Sienna were allegedly attacked.

According to the statement, the Sharon 14-seater bus, with registration number Kogi ERE 138 AE, was conveying about 11 passengers from Delta State to Abuja.

InterSociety alleged that seven passengers were abducted while four escaped.

It added that a Toyota Sienna car, with registration number BB 362 MKA, carrying nine passengers travelling from Abuja to Delta State, was also attacked, with six passengers allegedly abducted.

The organisation said other travellers were attacked along the Itobe-Achigili-Anyigba Highway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

It claimed that approximately 40 Eastern travellers were abducted in the incident, involving three vehicles, including an 18-seater Hummer bus reportedly belonging to Peace Mass Transit, a 14-seater Toyota Hiace bus and a Toyota Sienna car.

According to InterSociety, the first two attacks occurred within about two hours of each other, at approximately 4pm and 6pm on August 9.

The organisation said another major incident occurred on Thursday, August 13, in Ore, Ondo State, involving two 18-seater buses travelling to Lagos and Abuja.

It alleged that 32 Eastern travellers were abducted in the incident.

One of the buses was described as an Eastern-originated white 18-seater vehicle travelling to Lagos, while the other was reportedly operated by Sunny Bright Mass Transit and was carrying passengers from Enugu to Abuja.

InterSociety said five passengers from the latter bus were rescued, while nine others disappeared into the bush.

It also referred to reports that 16 Eastern travellers abducted during the August 9 attack in Kogi State were rescued the following day.

The rescued victims included Ngozi Stephen and Joshua Daniel. Also the abandoned 18-seater bus involved in the Kogi incident had broken windows and other signs of vandalism, while passengers’ luggage were reportedly left behind.

The 16 rescued travellers were among those abducted along the Itobe-Achigili-Anyigba Highway on August 9 and were later rescued along the Anyigba-Ajaokuta Expressway on August 10.

The organisation expressed concerns over what it described as the growing insecurity facing travellers using major routes linking the South-East with the South-West and North-Central regions.

It argued that the incidents demonstrated what it described as the increasing occupation of forests and bushes along major highways by criminal groups.

InterSociety listed seven categories of locations it considered particularly vulnerable to abductions.

These include forests and bushes allegedly occupied by armed groups, farmland settlements, forests around traditional communal sites, non-Igbo forests and farm settlements close to boundary areas, and locations around major military and police formations.

The group also identified forests and bushes outside the South-East, including routes through Edo, Ondo, Ogun, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue and Taraba states, as areas where travellers from the South-East were allegedly vulnerable to kidnapping.

It specifically mentioned routes connecting Kaduna and Abuja as well as Lagos and Abuja among the areas where South-Eastern travellers were allegedly being targeted.

InterSociety described the abductions as evidence that major road and forest routes connecting the South-East with the South-West and North-Central had become increasingly dangerous.

The organisation called on political leaders from the South-East and reputable socio-cultural associations in Nigeria and the diaspora to urgently address the situation.

The group said the scale of the alleged abductions required greater attention from security agencies and political authorities to prevent further attacks on travellers.

However, the figures and claims contained in InterSociety’s statement could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

The organisation's description of the alleged attackers as “Jihadist Fulani” also represents its characterization of the incidents and was not independently established in the statement.

The latest allegations come amid persistent concerns over kidnapping and other forms of insecurity along major highways connecting different regions of Nigeria. (Text, excluding headline: SaharaReporters)

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