Six Nigerian Law School students, abducted on Saturday while traveling to the Yola campus in Adamawa State, are reportedly being held for a ransom of N20 million per student.
The students were en route from Onitsha, Anambra State, to resume academic activities at the Yola campus after their court externship break.
The students have been identified as Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David.
The kidnapping by suspected gunmen is said to have occurred in Benue State in the late hours of Saturday.
Damilare Adenola, a fellow law student at the Yola campus, confirmed the incident in an interview on Sunday, saying “six students had been reportedly kidnapped by suspected bandits while traveling to resume school.”
The Yola campus was scheduled to reopen on Monday, July 28 following the break.
According to him, the reports suggest that the abduction took place along the route between Wukari in Taraba State and a part of Benue State —an area known for insecurity and frequent attacks on travellers.
A fresh update on the abduction of the six Nigerian Law School students has revealed that the kidnappers are demanding a N20m ransom for each victim.
Sources at the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School said on Sunday evening that the suspected gunmen had established contact with relatives and colleagues of the victims to negotiate ransom payment.
One of the students, Chisom, recounted how he initially dismissed the news until she tried to reach some of the victims.
He said, “We heard the news this morning (Sunday) that some of our classmates were abducted. I didn’t want to believe it, so I started making a few calls because I know all of them. I tried to call three of the victims, but their numbers were switched off.
“When I tried one of them again, he picked up the call. There was noise in the background, but when he finally spoke, he screamed that he had been kidnapped and told a colleague to send N20m for his release.
He further disclosed that he spoke with another classmate based in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, who had already heard about the incident.
“He told me he’d been aware of the abduction since Thursday. According to him, the wife of one of the victims reached out to inform him about it. That was when we confirmed that the kidnapping happened in Benue State,” he added.
A student leader at the Yola campus, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case, disclosed that the matter had already been reported to the police.
“We are currently in Yola. We have contacted the Adamawa State Police Command. We are just waiting for more updates from them. We haven’t got any concrete information yet,” the student leader said.
Contacted on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Adamawa Police Command, DSP Yahaya Suleiman, confirmed the abduction but clarified that the incident did not occur within Adamawa jurisdiction.
“The abduction did not occur inside Adamawa State. I will encourage you to contact the Benue State Police Command for more details,” Suleiman said.
He also assured the public that both commands were working closely to secure the safe return of the students.
“We cooperate not only with the police in other states but also with other sister agencies to ensure that those coming into Adamawa are safe, without harassment or intimidation.
“The command is collaborating with officers and men of the Benue State Police Command to ensure these students are rescued,” he stated.
As of the time of this report, attempts to reach Anene Catherine, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, have been unsuccessful as calls and messages to her phone have not been returned.
Persecondnews recalls that in 2022, two students from the Nigerian Law School, Agbani campus, Enugu State, were reportedly kidnapped.
They were ambushed by gunmen and taken to an unknown location while at the Eke Agbani market buying food.
Leave a comment