Senior officials of the Ministry of Defence were taken captive while travelling for a promotion programme after armed men stopped their vehicle and forced them into the forest.
Four of the six female directors earlier seized in Kogi State have now regained freedom, emerging from the forest on foot and making their way into Kaduna after nearly two weeks in captivity.
The victims were identified as Mrs Ngozi Ibeziakor, Mrs C A Emeribe, Mrs C Helen Ezeakor, Mrs C A Ladoye, Mrs J A Onwuzurike and Mrs Catherine O Essien. All were senior female officers.
Sources familiar with the situation said the women endured long, punishing treks and harsh conditions throughout their ordeal. According to these accounts, two of the women, Mrs C A Emeribe and Mrs J A Onwuzurike, did not survive the journey. Their reported deaths were attributed to extreme exhaustion during the forced march through the forest from Kogi into Kaduna. This claim had not been independently confirmed at the time the information emerged.
One source explained that the four surviving officials are undergoing medical evaluation after suffering severe physical strain, limited access to food and water, and near constant movement enforced by the abductors.
The kidnapping had taken place along the Kabba to Lokoja route on Monday, November 10, 2025, as the directors travelled from Lagos to Abuja for a Directorate level promotion examination. Security contacts described the attack as highly organised.
The incident created widespread alarm within the Ministry of Defence and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, heightening concern about the vulnerability of government personnel on official assignments.
