Rev. Fr. Delivers Ransom*
By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
It has emerged that the twenty medical students from the University of Jos and the University of Maiduguri, who were abducted on Thursday, August 15, 2024, along the Otukpo-Enugu highway in Benue State, were released free of charge by their abductors.
According to family sources, the students regained their freedom following the alleged payment of N50 million in ransom by the victims’ families.
The students were kidnapped while en route to attend the annual conference of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS), which was held at Enugu State University of Technology last weekend.
Benue State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police (SP) Catherine Anene, confirmed the release of the students in a WhatsApp message at 11 p.m., describing it as a rescue. She promised to provide details of the rescue operation, but this was not forthcoming.
Sources within security and the families of the abductees revealed that each of the twenty students’ families paid N2.5 million, totaling the N50 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers. The ransom was delivered by a Reverend Father in Enugu State, while the students were released in a forest in Utonkon, Ado Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, around midnight. Utonkon is approximately 36 kilometers from Otukpo.
National Accord reported that, according to a family source, the ransom was ready for delivery on Thursday. However, when the Reverend Father went to the agreed location, the kidnappers were not present. The kidnappers later contacted the cleric, stating that they were under pressure from security operatives and had to abort the collection on Thursday.
“The day before yesterday, they took the ransom around but could not meet the person supposed to collect it. When they met the following day, they said they were trying to avoid security. That was in Enugu. They received the money there and released the students in Utonkon, Ado Local Government Area, Benue State,” the source said.
After their release, the students reportedly trekked several kilometers before being located and picked up by a team of security operatives. They were brought to Otukpo in the early hours of Saturday.
Security operatives departed Otukpo around 5:05 a.m. on Saturday, taking all 20 students and their family members to Abuja, where they are scheduled to undergo medical check-ups and hold a press conference at either the Force Headquarters or the Presidential Villa, according to a family source.
About five days ago, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun had ordered the deployment of a tactical squad to Benue State and directed the State Commissioner of Police, CP Yabanet, to relocate to Otukpo LGA to rescue the students.
Efforts to obtain further information from Benue Police spokesperson SP Catherine Anene via phone call and WhatsApp message were unsuccessful, as she did not answer her calls or respond to the messages.
