The abduction of four members of a family during a midnight raid in Zango community, Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, has once again drawn attention to security vulnerabilities in satellite settlements around the Lokoja metropolis.
Zango, located on the outskirts of the state capital, was thrown into panic late on Monday night when gunmen suspected to be bandits stormed Zone 12 of the community, abducting four persons from a family residence.
Residents said the attackers operated for several minutes without resistance, raising concerns about the absence of visible security patrols in the area.
“We were invaded last night. Four people, including women and children, were taken,” a resident, who requested anonymity, told The Guardian. “The entire community was in fear.”
Although local security operatives later intervened, two of the abducted victims—an elderly woman and a two-year-old child—were discovered abandoned in nearby bushland by morning, suggesting the attackers may have been forced to retreat under pressure.
“The security intervention helped. The old woman and the child were found alive in the bush,” the resident said, adding that the remaining victims are still missing.
Another resident described the night as traumatic, saying the community remained awake as gunshots and distress calls echoed through the area.
“The police and the army eventually responded, but they came after the attackers had escaped. By then, the damage had been done,” the resident said.
Accounts from the community indicate that the gunmen targeted a newly completed house, though conflicting reports emerged on whether a woman and her son or a man and his son were taken away.
The incident has heightened anxiety among residents of satellite communities around Lokoja, many of which lack permanent security posts despite growing populations and expanding housing developments.
Security agencies have reportedly launched a manhunt for the kidnappers, but residents expressed concern over the recurring pattern of delayed response to attacks in the area.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kogi State Police Command had not issued an official statement. Calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP William Ovye, were unanswered.
The Zango incident adds to a growing list of security challenges facing peri-urban communities in Kogi State, renewing calls for proactive policing, improved surveillance, and the extension of security infrastructure beyond city centres.