Bandits Kill Vigilante Member in Kogi Ambush During Rescue Mission

Suspected bandits have ambushed members of a vigilante group in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, killing one of them.

The vigilantes were reportedly on a mission to rescue kidnapped victims who had been taken into the forest by bandits within the local government area.
The deceased vigilante member has been identified as Opeyemi Aina.
According to reports, Aina was killed in the early hours of Tuesday during a gun battle with the bandits. He was said to be from the Ijalu compound in Egbe and a member of the Amekunlaye Vigilante Group.
Other members of the vigilante group were said to have escaped from the attack with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
A resident, Mathew Babagbmi, disclosed that the group ran into an ambush while carrying out the rescue operation.
“Opeyemi Aina, alongside other vigilante members, went out to rescue kidnap victims. Unfortunately, during the encounter, he was shot and died instantly,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kogi State Police Command had yet to release an official statement confirming the incident, nearly a week after it occurred.
ASP Saliu Oyiza is currently the spokesperson for the Command, having recently taken over from SP William Ovye Aya.