A newlywed couple has been abducted alongside four other people after armed men intercepted their vehicle along the Iyemero-Eruku Road, a remote route linking communities around the Kwara and Kogi border. The victims, identified as Reverend Abiodun David and his wife, Funmilayo Bamidele, were reportedly returning from their engagement ceremony in Eruku, Kwara State, when they were attacked on Saturday evening.
According to reports, the group was travelling in a vehicle that was initially expected to use the Isanlu Road. The driver, however, reportedly chose a back route to drop off the Best Man and other members of the group in Iyamoye, Kogi State. It was while the vehicle was travelling through the Iyemero-Eruku axis that armed assailants reportedly intercepted it and took the occupants into the surrounding bush. The identities and whereabouts of the four other abducted passengers had not been fully established in reports available at the time of publication.
The incident has triggered a joint security response involving personnel operating across the affected states. Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, confirmed the abduction and said soldiers had already moved into the surrounding bush in an effort to locate the victims and apprehend those responsible. Police operatives from Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti are also working together because of the location of the incident around the border communities.
The vehicle conveying the victims has since been recovered. According to the police commissioner, it was found parked at an abandoned police station in Ayetoro, Ekiti State. The discovery of the abandoned vehicle has added another element to the ongoing investigation as security agencies work to establish the movements of the abductors and trace the location of the victims.
As of the latest reports, the whereabouts of the newlyweds and the other abducted passengers remained unknown, while authorities had not publicly disclosed whether the kidnappers had contacted the families or demanded a ransom. Security forces are continuing their search around the forested areas linking the three states, with the immediate priority being to locate and rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The incident has also renewed concerns over the security of travellers using remote routes around the Kwara-Kogi-Ekiti border, where the boundaries of the three states create difficult terrain for security operations. For the newly married couple, what should have been the beginning of their life together has instead become a desperate security operation, with families waiting for news of their safe return.