By Amah
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Terrorists who kidnapped six Nigerian Law School (NLS)students in Benue have demanded N120 million to release them, at the price of N20 million each.
The students were abducted by gunmen on Saturday while travelling from Onitsha in Anambra to resume at the NLS Yola campus in Adamawa, scheduled to reopen on Monday after court externship.
“Six students of the Nigerian Law School have been reportedly kidnapped by suspected bandits while travelling to resume school after their court externship break,” fellow student Damilare Adenola told The PUNCH.
“Some missing students have been identified as Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David.”
Adenola said reports suggest the abduction took place on the route between Wukari in Taraba and part of Benue known for insecurity and frequent attacks on travellers.
Sources at the Yola campus disclosed that the gunmen have established contact with relatives and colleagues of the victims to negotiate ransom payment.
A fellow student, Chisom, recounted how he initially dismissed the news until he tried to reach some of the victims.
His words: “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 N20 million for his release.
Chisom spoke with another classmate based in NLS Yenagoa campus in Bayelsa who 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.”
A student leader at the Yola campus, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case, disclosed that the matter has 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,” he said.
Adamawa Police Command spokesperson Yahaya Suleiman confirmed that the command is aware of the abduction but clarified that “the abduction did not occur inside Adamawa State. I will encourage you to contact the Benue State Police Command for more details.”
Nonetheless, Suleiman assured the public that both commands are 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.”
This is not the first time NLS students have fallen victim to abduction.
In 2022, gunmen kidnapped two students from the NLS Agbani campus in Enugu.
The students went to Eke Agbani Market to buy food items when they were ambushed and taken to an unknown location by the assailants. The Niche
