Three newly passed-out Nigerian Army personnel have reportedly been abducted by suspected bandits in Zamfara State while travelling to Kebbi State days after completing their military training.

The soldiers were said to have been kidnapped on July 2, 2026, after leaving the 26 Nigerian Army formation in Kaduna, where they had participated in their passing-out parade.

According to accounts from sources familiar with the incident, the military was expected to transport the newly trained soldiers to Zuru in Kebbi State. However, they were allegedly dropped off in Gusau, Zamfara State, late in the evening and directed to continue the remaining leg of their journey on their own the following morning.

The soldiers reportedly joined other passengers in a commercial vehicle departing from a motor park in Gusau. While travelling through the Anka axis of Zamfara State, the vehicle was allegedly ambushed by heavily armed bandits, who abducted the passengers, including the three soldiers and the driver.

The kidnappers were initially said to have demanded a ransom of N50 million before reducing the demand to N5 million for each captive.

Relatives of the abducted soldiers alleged that despite notifying military authorities immediately after the incident, they had received no official feedback or indication of a rescue operation more than 13 days later.

A security analyst, who also confirmed the incident in a video posted on social media, said he had spoken directly with the families of the affected soldiers.

According to him, six soldiers were travelling after the passing-out ceremony, but three managed to escape during the attack.

He, however, disclosed that only one of those who escaped had been located, while the whereabouts of the remaining two were still unknown.

“According to reports, because I have spoken with the families of these soldiers, this year they were given pass after they passed out from Kaduna,” he said.

“Normally, the Army was supposed to drop them in Zuru, Kebbi State. But they transported them only to Gusau in Zamfara State and dropped them there. It was already late, so they told everybody to find their way the following morning.”

The analyst further narrated how the abduction occurred.

“The next morning, the boys boarded a commercial vehicle from the Gusau motor park heading to Zuru. When they got near Anka, terrorists, otherwise known as bandits, attacked the vehicle and kidnapped everyone inside.

“Three soldiers escaped. But among those three, only one has been found. The whereabouts of the other two are still unknown.”

Speaking on the ransom demands, he said: “At first, they demanded N50 million. Later, they reduced it to N5 million for each person.”

He also claimed that the families had alerted the Nigerian Army immediately after learning of the incident but were yet to receive any response.

“I asked the families whether they had informed the military. They told me they had contacted the military about the incident, but the military has not responded and has not done anything about it.’’

He added that the victims’ families were unable to meet the ransom demands.

“According to the families, they are crying because they don’t have the money. They don’t have anything. They cannot raise such an amount.”

Describing the incident as alarming, the analyst said: “This is very sad and shameful. Bandits kidnapping military personnel—it keeps getting worse every day. Imagine soldiers who had just completed their training and were simply travelling home before beginning active service being kidnapped. They kidnapped them, including the driver.”