Man Begs Kogi Government, Security Agencies to Rescue Kidnapped Wife, Children

A distraught resident of Kogi State, Abdullahi Sheriff, has appealed to the State Government and Security Agencies for urgent intervention following the abduction of his wife and two children from their home in Lokoja.

Global Mirror News gathered that the incident occurred late Friday, January 9, night at the family’s residence in Zone 12 of the Zango community in Adavi Local Government Area, when armed men stormed the house and whisked away members of the household.

Sheriff, 36, told Journalists that he had only recently relocated his family to the house after securing a loan to complete part of the building, following pressure from his former landlord over increased rent.

According to him, the family moved into the house on December 18, 2025, barely weeks before the attack.

He said the assailants invaded the building while he was away, firing gunshots into the premises and causing panic in the neighbourhood.

Sheriff explained that upon learning of the attack, he rushed to the local vigilante office for help but was directed to first report at the Police Station.

After doing so, he returned to the vigilante group, but claimed they could not mobilise without approval from their commander, which was not immediately forthcoming.

By the time Soldiers eventually arrived and began a pursuit into nearby forested areas, the kidnappers had already escaped with his senior wife, Abidat Sheriff, 35, and two of their children — five-year-old Mubarak and one-year-eight-month-old Zainab.

Abidat had reportedly been discharged from hospital only two days earlier. Sheriff added that Mubarak was taken away without shoes or clothes.

During the military’s pursuit, he said a fresh burst of gunfire from another group of vigilantes caused confusion, forcing the Soldiers to suspend their chase until the following day.

Global Mirror News also gathered that Zainab was later found abandoned in an uncompleted building along a bush path after residents alerted the family.

The child, who had been crying for hours, was rescued from the area, which locals described as unsafe due to the presence of wild reptiles.

Also speaking, Sheriff’s second wife, Faiza Aliba Sheriff, who was at home during the raid, said she narrowly escaped with her infant after hiding under a bed when the gunmen entered the house.

She disclosed that her three-year-old daughter, Nazirat, was initially taken but was later thrown out through a window after crying loudly, allowing her to escape.

Faiza said she fled with the children through the back of the house and was sheltered by a Good Samaritan until morning.

Overwhelmed by emotion, Sheriff called on the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Nigerian Army, and other security agencies to deploy advanced surveillance tools, including helicopters and drones, to track down the kidnappers and secure the release of his wife and son, who remain in captivity.

As of the time of filing this report, Global Mirror News gathered that no ransom demand had been made, and neither the Kogi State Government nor the Police had issued an official statement on the incident.