A wave of fear swept through Omi-Ara, a rural settlement in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, one of Nigeria’s central states located in the North-Central geopolitical zone, following a violent overnight attack believed to have been carried out by suspected bandits.
Residents said the attack occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, leaving an undetermined number of people abducted, although community members were still struggling to account for all residents as of Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
According to eyewitnesses, the assailants stormed the community under the cover of darkness, firing sporadically and causing panic among residents, many of whom fled into nearby bushes for safety.
Okay News reports that despite distress calls made to security agencies shortly after the attack, there was no immediate confirmation from the Kogi State Police Command regarding the incident or the number of victims involved.
Efforts to obtain official clarification proved unsuccessful, as repeated telephone calls and text messages sent to the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kogi State Command, Chief Superintendent of Police William Aya, were not responded to at the time this report was compiled.
The attack has further heightened anxiety in the Yagba axis of Kogi State, an area that has witnessed repeated incidents of abductions and armed violence in recent months, raising concerns about the deteriorating security situation.
Between August and November 2025, at least two Christian worship centres, including a Cherubim and Seraphim Church and an Evangelical Church Winning All Church, were attacked in the same axis, leading to the abduction of a pastor and his wife.
In a related development, residents recalled a similar assault on Odo-Ere, another community within Yagba West Local Government Area, which occurred on Sunday night. During that incident, at least four residents were abducted.
Those taken during the Odo-Ere raid were identified by community sources as Shina Ajere, Mr. Kehinde Afolabi, Damilola Ogun, and a woman popularly known as Iya Lara.
Residents described the latest Omi-Ara attack as chaotic and terrifying, noting that sustained gunfire echoed across the community for several minutes, leaving families traumatized and uncertain about the fate of their loved ones.
Community leaders and residents have jointly appealed to security agencies and the Kogi State Government, led by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress, to urgently deploy additional security personnel to the area and intensify efforts to rescue those abducted.
