Benue residents block highway over abduction of 18 mourners

From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi

Residents of Tyomu community in Makurdi Local Government,  Benue State, yesterday, blocked the Makurdi-Gboko road to protest the alleged abduction of 18 mourners, mostly women.

The victims were reportedly abducted last Friday evening, September 25, along the Makurdi-Naka-Adoka-Ankpa road while travelling to Kogi State for a burial ceremony.

Sources said the kidnappers initially demanded N30 million ransom from the victims’ relatives.

The community reportedly raised and paid N3 million, but the abductors refused to release the victims.

Angered by the development, the residents took to the highway, demanding urgent intervention by the government and security agencies to locate and rescue their relatives.

The protesters, some carrying fresh palm fronds, chanted songs in their native language as they blocked the highway, causing traffic gridlock and leaving motorists stranded for hours.

Special Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief Joseph Har, confirmed the incident but said the exact number of people abducted had yet to be established.

“The incident actually happened. As I speak to you now, I have reported it to the relevant security agencies, who are also working on it.

“We located the place. The DPO of Adoka and the security guards in surrounding areas are working tirelessly to see how they can get to the location,” Har said.

He explained that tracing kidnap victims could be difficult because the location from which abductors make ransom calls may be different from where their captives are being held.

“The worst thing about kidnapping is that the location from which the kidnappers make their calls is usually different from where the victims are actually being kept. So, it is not as straightforward as people may think.

“It is a challenge for security agencies to navigate and identify the exact location. But we are careful when handling these matters.

“We are working on this particular case, and I do not hide information from the families of the victims. I keep them informed about how far we have gone, where we are and what the next steps are,” he said.

Har also advised residents against travelling at night along routes considered unsafe.

“First of all, travelling to Kogi State at night is a concern. How can people be travelling to Kogi State in the night, especially when everybody is aware of how dangerous the situation along that route is?

“This is not correct. We shouldn’t be putting people under pressure,” he said.

Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chief Solomon Iorpev, also confirmed the incident and appealed for calm, saying the state government was working with security agencies to secure the victims’ release.

Iorpev said the victims, who were mostly women from Tyomu community, had hired a commercial vehicle to convey them to the burial.

“Some women from Tyomu, a community after the Air Force Base, hired Ejifa Travel Services to transport them for a burial, an arrangement they usually make, to and fro, while travelling for such occasions.

“So, around Ankpa, they were kidnapped,” he said.

The commissioner said the Commissioner of Police informed the government that the transport company had not initially reported the incident to the police.

“The position of the Commissioner of Police is that the company did not report the incident to the police. It was the protest by the affected people that eventually brought the matter to the attention of the Commissioner of Police,” he said.

Iorpev said the police commissioner had moved to liaise with the transport company and families of the victims to begin tracing the abductors.

He urged transport operators to promptly report security incidents to the appropriate authorities.

“If your company is involved in an incident or something goes wrong, the people concerned should be informed and the appropriate authorities should be notified. That way, everyone knows what is happening and the necessary steps can be taken.

“However, now that we are aware of what is going on, the Commissioner of Police will lead his team to see what can be done to resolve the matter in the shortest possible time.

“So, we are calling for calm. The government will do something as soon as possible,” Iorpev said.