Growing Anxiety Over kidnapped
OpenLife Nigeria reports that palpable anxieties have gripped the families of kidnapped Defence Ministry directors.
In like manner, panic has also gripped the Federal Civil Service following the abduction of six of its directors.
The directors were kidnapped by gunmen along the Kabba-Lokoja highway on November 10, 2025.
The senior officers, who were travelling from Lagos to Abuja for a Directorate-level promotion examination, were intercepted by the assailants in what sources described as a well-coordinated ambush.
The incident, which has sent shockwaves through the Defence Ministry and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, has sparked renewed concerns over the safety of public servants travelling long distances for official duties.
In a statement, the ASCSN President, Shehu Mohammed, and the Secretary-General, Joshua Apebo, condemned the abduction and assured members that efforts were underway to secure the release of the victims.
According to the statement, “Those kidnapped are Mrs. Ngozi Ibeziakor, Mrs. C. Emeribe, Mrs. Helen Ezeakor, Mrs. C. Ladoye, Mrs. J. Onwuzurike, and Mrs. Catherine Essien. These Directors, who are members of our union and staff of Command Day Secondary School, CDSS, Ojo, Lagos, were travelling from Lagos to Abuja when they were kidnapped.”
The ASCSN disclosed that the Defence Ministry had already mobilised its security operatives, who are taking urgent steps to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted Directors.
“We have always advised the Federal Civil Service Commission to conduct promotion examinations in the states instead of compelling public service employees to travel long distances to Abuja. The current security situation and deplorable road conditions expose workers to grave risks.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has reportedly intensified efforts to locate the victims, deploying specialized security teams to comb suspected hideouts around Kogi State.
Speaking on the incident under anonymity Wednesday morning, a family member of the victims told OpenLife that they have been praying over the matter.
“ She is the bread winner in her home. Her family is in fears that nothing bad should happen to her in captivity. I am very close to her husband. No demand for ransom has been made yet,” the civil servant said.
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