Kidnappers holding 18 people abducted in two separate attacks in Kogi State within the last two weeks are demanding a combined ransom of N400 million to release their victims before Christmas.
The victims comprise 14 members of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area, who were seized during a church service on November 30, 2025, and four wedding guests abducted while returning from Jos to Magongo in Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area on December 8, 2025.
According to family sources and community leaders who spoke to The Guardian, the gunmen holding the four wedding guests have placed a ransom of N25 million on each person, totalling N100 million.
The separate gang that abducted the pastor, his wife, and 12 other worshippers from the Ejiba church initially demanded N500 million but later reduced the amount to N200 million after negotiations, bringing the total ransom demand from both groups to N400 million.
Jordan Akpata, National President of the Magongo Development Association (MDA), confirmed that the abductors have been in direct contact with the families and issued stern warnings.
In the church abduction case, the kidnappers have given the victims’ families a two-day ultimatum to pay the N200 million or “face dire consequences,” a development that has triggered panic across affected communities.
Anxiety is mounting is over the fate of the captives, given the Kogi State Government’s repeated public vow never to negotiate or pay ransom to bandits.On November 30, the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley
Femi Fanwo, confirmed the church attack, condemned it in strong terms, and assured residents that Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo was personally supervising a massive security operation involving police, military, and local vigilante groups to rescue the victims and neutralize the criminals.
The government, however, reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards negotiating with terrorists and bandits, insisting it has the capacity to dismantle the criminal networks.
As Christmas approaches, families of the 18 victims remain in captivity with no confirmed breakthrough in the rescue efforts, leaving families, church members, and entire communities in anguish and uncertainty.
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