Three newly passed-out Nigerian Army personnel were reportedly abducted by suspected bandits in Zamfara State while travelling to Kebbi State after completing their training in Kaduna.
According to SaharaReporters, the soldiers were kidnapped on July 2, 2026, along the Anka axis of Zamfara State while travelling in a commercial vehicle.
The report said the soldiers had just completed their passing-out exercise at the 26 Nigerian Army formation in Kaduna. They were reportedly expected to be transported to Zuru, Kebbi State, but were instead dropped in Gusau, Zamfara, and asked to continue the remainder of their journey the following morning.
Sources said the soldiers boarded a commercial vehicle from a motor park in Gusau alongside other passengers heading to Kebbi. The vehicle was later ambushed by heavily armed bandits, who abducted the occupants, including the driver and the three soldiers.
The kidnappers were said to have initially demanded a ransom of N50 million before reducing it to N5 million for each captive.
Families of the abducted soldiers alleged that they informed military authorities shortly after the incident but had yet to receive any official response or indication of a rescue operation more than 13 days after the abduction.
A security analyst also confirmed the incident in a video shared on social media, saying he had spoken with the families of the affected soldiers.
According to the analyst, six newly passed-out soldiers were travelling on the route when the attack occurred. He said three escaped during the ambush, although only one had been located, while the whereabouts of the other two remained unknown.
The analyst further alleged that the families could not afford the ransom being demanded by the kidnappers.
The Nigerian Army has not publicly commented on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
