Terrorists have abducted no fewer than six travelers along the Naka–Makurdi road in Benue State in the early hours of Tuesday.
According to sources, the incident happened in Kula village, which is a neighborhood close to Makurdi, the state capital.
According to a family member of one of the victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the seven travelers left Ilorin on Monday.
They apparently slept overnight at Ankpa, Kogi State, due to security concerns along the route, and then started traveling again early on Tuesday.
The source claims that armed men stopped the car carrying them near Kula village, which is around a 20-minute drive from Makurdi.
“They were seven in the vehicle and left Ankpa early this morning, but their vehicle was stopped at Kula village.
“One passenger managed to escape, while the remaining six—three men and three women—were taken away by the kidnappers,” the source said.
The source went on to say that the kidnappers had wanted N100 million in ransom to free the victims.
Omnin Torsar, the chairman of Gwer West Local Government Area, verified the event and said it happened in the Naka–Makurdi axis on Tuesday at around five in the morning.
“It’s true; I have confirmed the abduction. I was told the incident happened around 5 a.m. They were traveling in a convoy when they ran into bandits who abducted some of them. The incident happened close to Makurdi along the Naka–Makurdi road, but I don’t have the exact number of those taken,” he said.
DSP Udeme Edet, the state command’s Police Public Relations Officer, stated she had not yet received an official report on the incident when called.
In recent weeks, the number of kidnapping incidents has increased throughout the state.
In the Ado Local Government Area, nine attendees were kidnapped from St. John’s Catholic Church in Ojije last week, and fourteen travelers were taken hostage in the nearby Okpokwu LGA.
Drivers had previously avoided the Makurdi–Naka road because of the high number of kidnappings, but attacks had only lately decreased when security personnel were stationed there.
