Police Respond 'Noted' as Gunmen Abduct APC Youth Leader Iron Gate and Wife in Kogi

• Gunmen reportedly abducted APC youth leader Arome Adaji, also known as Iron Gate, and his wife, Justina, from their residence in Abocho, Dekina LGA, Kogi State.

• The police spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, reportedly responded “noted” when contacted about the incident.

• The abduction follows other reported kidnappings in Kogi East, including that of a woman and her four children.

Gunmen have reportedly abducted an All Progressives Congress (APC) youth leader and his wife from their residence in Kogi State. 

This happened weeks after a woman and her four children were kidnapped in the same area, raising fresh concerns about security in communities across Kogi East.

Arome Adaji, popularly known as Iron Gate, the APC youth leader in Ogbabede Ward, and his wife, Justina Arome, were reportedly taken from their home along Ajegwuna Road in Abocho, Dekina Local Government Area, at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21.

According to a report by Banner News, armed men stormed the couple’s residence and fired several gunshots, forcing residents to remain indoors for fear of being hit by stray bullets.

A resident identified as Ndamodu said neighbours only came out after the gunmen had left and discovered that the couple had been taken away. The circumstances surrounding the abduction and the couple’s whereabouts remain unclear.

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The spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, was contacted about the incident but reportedly responded with the word “noted”, without providing further details.

Pulse Nigeria checked the Kogi State Police Command’s X account for a report or response to the abductions but found no posts relating to the incidents. 

As of the time of filing, no further police statement confirming the circumstances of the abduction or outlining any rescue operation had been identified in the reports reviewed.

The limited response leaves unanswered questions about whether an investigation has begun, whether security operatives have been deployed to search for the couple and whether the kidnappers have contacted their family.

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The latest incident follows other reported abductions in Dekina and surrounding communities.

A community leader, Surveyor Agono Eneogba, told reporters that a woman and her four children were kidnapped weeks earlier while returning from a burial ceremony. They were reportedly released after a ransom was paid, although the amount was not disclosed in the report.

Eneogba also expressed concern that kidnappers were increasingly targeting homes, farms and farm settlements despite security surveillance along roads in parts of Kogi East.

His assessment suggests that residents remain concerned about their safety beyond major highways, although security officials have not independently confirmed that criminal groups have systematically shifted their operations to residential areas.

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The abduction also comes amid previous security operations in the state. On September 1, the Kogi State Government announced that joint security personnel had rescued 21 people abducted along the Alloma–Ejule–Itobe road corridor.

The operation involved the Nigerian Army, police, the Department of State Services, local hunters and vigilantes.

However, the latest reported abduction raises further questions about the security situation in Dekina and the surrounding communities.

The police have yet to provide further details on the reported abduction of Adaji and his wife.