The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, on Sunday, received 20 medical students who were abducted in Benue State while on their way to Enugu State for a conference.
During the reception, the IGP announced that seven other kidnap victims were also rescued alongside the medical students. He mentioned that the leader of the kidnapping gang was killed during the operation, and two other suspects were apprehended.
The IGP thanked the National Security Adviser (NSA), other security agencies, and local vigilante groups for their efforts. He urged Nigerians to continue to trust the police in such situations, highlighting that no ransom was paid for the victims’ rescue.
The rescued students were subsequently handed over to the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos. The students and others rescued were immediately transported to Abuja for a thorough medical evaluation.
Reports indicated that the 20 students, from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos, were abducted in Benue State on Thursday and were rescued on Friday, April 23, 2024.
The source added that the rescue operation involved a joint effort by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the military, who were instructed to transfer the rescued students to an undisclosed hospital in Abuja for appropriate care.
The students were found in Ajide Forest in the Ukwonyo ward of Ado Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, a forest shared between Ado and Okpokwu LGAs.
Prior to the rescue, the kidnappers had rejected a N20 million ransom reportedly raised by the Catholic community in Nigeria. This was disclosed by Prince Tihi Maxwell, President of the Community of Tiv Students at the University of Maiduguri, who confirmed that two members of his community were among the abducted students.
