A group of Nigerian Law School students who were kidnapped in Benue State last month have rejected claims by the police that they were rescued, insisting their freedom was secured only after their families paid ransom to the abductors.
In a statement issued by one of the victims, Reverend Ernest Okafor, the students recounted the events that unfolded during their abduction, highlighting their ordeal and aiming to correct what they described as a false narrative from the authorities.
According to Rev. Okafor, the group departed Onitsha, Anambra State, on the morning of Saturday, July 26, 2025, en route to Yola. They arrived at Katsina Ala, Benue State, around 7 p.m., but by approximately 9 p.m., their bus was ambushed and hijacked by unknown gunmen.
The victims were taken into a forest, moved between various locations, and subjected to both physical abuse and psychological distress. The kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million in ransom, later reducing the demand to ₦10 million.
Family members of the victims were contacted and pressured to arrange the ransom payments. Following successful negotiations and payments by some families, the students were released on the morning of Friday, August 1, 2025. However, two individuals are still reportedly in captivity.
Rev. Okafor stressed that the police played no role in their release. Instead, after gaining their freedom, the victims walked several kilometers to Wukari in Taraba State, where they eventually met with police officials. From there, the students were transferred through several police divisions before being returned to the Nigerian Law School in Yola.
“The Police lied,” Rev. Okafor stated. “We were not rescued by the police. We were only received by the police after we informed them of our release.”
He called on President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector-General of Police to listen to their account directly, in order to dispel false reports surrounding their release.
