Six students of the Nigerian Law School have been reportedly abducted in Benue State, with their kidnappers now threatening to execute them if a newly increased ransom is not paid.
The incident occurred on Saturday, July 26, while the students were traveling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School in Adamawa State, following the end of their court externship break. They were scheduled to resume classes on Monday, July 28.
The victims — identified as Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David — were last contacted shortly before entering a high-risk area between Benue and Nasarawa states, according to a student leader at the Yola campus.
Initial ransom demands were set at N20 million per student, but the abductors have since escalated the amount to N50 million each, threatening to kill the students if their conditions are not met.
A student familiar with the situation disclosed:
“They said they will kill them if we refuse to pay the ransom.
They warned us not to involve the security operatives. They said they can hear everything happening and insisted that if we want them alive, we must stay silent and comply.”
Efforts to confirm the situation are ongoing. The Adamawa State Police Command, through its spokesperson Yahaya Suleiman, acknowledged the abduction and stated it is collaborating with the Benue State Police Command to trace and rescue the victims.
However, repeated attempts to reach the Benue police spokesperson, Catherine Anene, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
This latest incident highlights the growing insecurity facing Nigerian students, especially those in professional programs. It follows a similar 2022 case, where two law students from the Agbani campus in Enugu State were kidnapped while shopping at a local market.
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