Sandra Sunday, a National Youth Service Corps member, regained her freedom after days in captivity, a family member told Daily Post in Nigeria on Monday 31 August 2026, following her abduction on the Kabba-Lokoja road in Kogi State.
Sandra was among corps members kidnapped while travelling through Kogi after orientation camp. The attack revived public fear for young graduates sent across the country for national service.
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How she was freed has not been set out in detail. Her family thanked God and those who helped bring her home.
Police in Kogi had earlier said gunmen came out of the bush last Wednesday around 4.40pm near Ogene Zaria, at the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction on the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area.
The attackers blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions. Some passengers were taken. Others ran into the bush.
Most of those first rescued were NYSC members going from Bayelsa towards Abuja. Eleven people, including the two drivers, were recovered in that search and allowed to continue their journey after debriefing. The hunt for others went on.
Sandra Sunday’s release is welcome news for one family. It is not the end of the story for relatives still waiting.
Corps members use those roads after camp because they must. When a bus is stopped in daylight, the risk is no longer abstract.
Kogi’s command has said it is putting more security and intelligence on the route. The gap between that promise and a quiet highway is what parents will measure next.
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Until every missing passenger is accounted for, relief for Sandra sits beside unfinished fear for those who have not yet come home.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
