Panic in Civil Service as Gunmen Kidnap Six Defence Directors on Kogi Highway

Tension and fear have taken over Nigeria’s Federal Civil Service after six senior Directors from the Ministry of Defence were kidnapped by gunmen along the Kaba–Lokoja highway. The officers, travelling from Lagos to Abuja for a promotion examination, were ambushed in what insiders described as a carefully planned attack on November 10, 2025.

The shocking abduction has thrown the Defence Ministry into confusion, heightening concerns about the safety of civil servants who travel for official duties across Nigeria’s unsafe highways. Many within the service say the incident exposes the growing risks of forcing staff to make long interstate trips despite worsening insecurity.

In a joint statement, the President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Shehu Mohammed, and the Secretary-General, Joshua Apebo, condemned the attack and confirmed that the kidnapped officials — Ngozi Ibeziakor, C.A. Emeribe, C. Helen Ezeakor, C.A. Ladoye, J.A. Onwuzurike, and Catherine O. Essien — were all members of the union and staff of Command Day Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos.

They assured that efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims, noting that the Ministry of Defence had already deployed security operatives to track the assailants. The union, however, criticised the Federal Civil Service Commission for centralising promotion examinations in Abuja, insisting that decentralisation could have prevented such tragedy.

“The current security situation and deplorable road conditions expose workers to grave risks,” the statement read, urging the government to move all verification and promotional exercises to state levels henceforth.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence has mobilised special security teams to comb suspected hideouts across Kogi State. The ASCSN praised the Defence authorities for their swift response and called on all security agencies to intensify efforts until the six abducted Directors are safely rescued.