N8m RANSOM FREES 18 BENUE VICTIMS
Eighteen residents abducted in Benue State have regained their freedom after spending six days in captivity, following a negotiated ransom payment and a public protest that forced authorities to take note.
The victims comprising eight women from Tyomu, three individuals from Vandeikya, and seven residents from the Wurukum area of Makurdi—were ambushed and kidnapped last Friday while traveling to Kogi State for a burial ceremony.
The abduction initially went unreported to law enforcement, sparking outrage within the local community. On Tuesday, angry residents mostly women blocked the Makurdi–Gboko highway in protest, demanding urgent government intervention to rescue their loved ones.
Benue State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Solomon Iorpev, criticized the transport company handling the trip for failing to notify security agencies immediately after the ambush. According to Iorpev, the State Police Command only became aware of the kidnapping due to the public highway protest.
While the kidnappers initially demanded an astronomical ransom of ₦30 million per person, the community managed to negotiate the total sum down to ₦8 million for all 18 hostages.
The victims were released on Thursday night in a forest along the Ogobia–Onyagede Road near the Benue–Kogi border. Beyond the cash ransom, the community was forced to provide foodstuffs and groceries worth over ₦500,000 to secure their release. A local resident named Igidi, whose wife was among those taken, successfully recovered the hostages from the forest.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Peter Aondongu, confirmed the victims’ release on Friday but noted that the police could not verify the ransom details since the community handled the negotiations independently.
Returning survivors recounted severe physical and psychological trauma. One of the victims, Linda Ingyough, revealed that they were subjected to regular floggings, starved of adequate food, and forced to survive on dry garri once a day and muddy water from a single four-liter jerrycan. Community members are now calling for immediate medical assistance and psychological support to help the survivors recover from the ordeal.
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