By The PUNCH 

The abductors of the six Nigerian Law School students have reportedly demanded a ransom of N20m for each victim, PUNCH Metro has learnt.

The students were reportedly kidnapped in Benue State by suspected gunmen while travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to the Yola Campus of the Nigerian Law School in Adamawa State on Saturday.

PUNCH Metro reported on Sunday that the incident occurred in the late hours of Saturday, as the students were on their way to resume academic activities at the Yola Campus of the Nigerian Law School, scheduled to reopen on Monday (today), following their Court Externship break.

In a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, a fellow law student at the Yola campus, Damilare Adenola, confirmed the incident, saying, “six students of the Nigerian Law School have been reportedly kidnapped by suspected bandits while travelling to resume school after their Court Externship break.

“Some missing students have been identified as Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David.”

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 Law School students has revealed that the kidnappers are demanding a N20 million ransom for each victim.

Sources at the Yola Campus of the Law School told PUNCH Metro 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 he 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 N20 million 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 with PUNCH Metro 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.

When contacted on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Adamawa State Police Command, SP Yahaya Suleiman, confirmed that the command was aware of 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 filing this report, efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, SP Anene Catherine, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to her phone were not responded to.

This is not the first time Nigerian Law School students have fallen victim to abduction. 

In 2022, gunmen reportedly abducted two students from the Nigerian Law School, Agbani campus, Enugu State.

The students were said to have gone to the Eke Agbani market to buy food when they were ambushed and taken to an unknown location by the assailants.

*FOOTNOTE PUNCH: Uthman Salami Uthman, a Mass Communication graduate from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has over six years experience in journalism. He reports crime to community-related news for Metro, business with a focus on the capital market and the oil and gas.