Abductors of 20 medical students in Otukpo, Benue demand N50m ransom

The abductors of 20 medical students from the Universities of Jos and Maiduguri have issued a ransom demand of N50 million, threatening to begin executing the hostages if the money is not delivered by Saturday.

Reports indicate that the kidnappers allowed the victims to use their phones, enabling them to contact anyone who could assist in raising the ransom. The students were kidnapped on Thursday while en route to Enugu State for the annual convention of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS).

Samuel Oche, President of the Benue Medical Student Association (NMA), confirmed the incident, stating that he spoke with one of the kidnapped students on Friday.

“We still had access to them as of yesterday,” Oche said. “One of them, Boniface, told me over the phone that the kidnappers are demanding N50 million for all 20 students.”

Additionally, the X account of one of the abducted students, Kingsley Aondona, was active on Friday.

He tweeted: “We were kidnapped on our way to Enugu for a convention. They are requesting N50 million for 20 of us medical students. Please, help us; we haven’t eaten for two days. They said they would start killing us tomorrow.”

As with many abduction cases, the families of the kidnapped students are largely relying on public contributions to meet the ransom demands. However, Oche expressed concern over the situation.

“To be honest, I’m not sure if contributions have begun. This is a national security issue, not something individuals should be left to handle alone,” Oche said. “We need the government to intervene and find a way to rescue these students without paying the ransom. How long will we continue paying for lives?”

He added that some of the victims were sharing their live locations, providing critical information that security agencies could use to track down the kidnappers and secure the students’ release without resorting to ransom payments.

The students were ambushed and taken by gunmen around 5:30 p.m. in the Otukpo area of Benue State.