Benue: Gunmen abduct Immigration officer in Makurdi, demand N20m ransom

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted an officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), identified as Simon Agbo, from his residence in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

According to a close relative who spoke to journalists on Monday, the incident occurred on Sunday night at the officer’s home located opposite the NKST Church in Kuan, behind the Modern Market area of the city.

The relative said the armed men stormed the compound while Agbo was outside with neighbours. They fired several shots into the air to instill fear and disperse people before seizing the officer at gunpoint and taking him to an unknown destination.

“They came in shooting sporadically and forced their way into the compound. Once inside, they singled out the immigration officer and whisked him away,” the source said.

IDOMA VOICE gathered that Agbo was previously serving in Kwara State but was redeployed to the Benue State Command in February 2025.

Following the abduction, community youths and local vigilantes immediately launched a night-long search for the kidnappers, but were unsuccessful.

A younger brother of the victim, identified simply as Mr. Agbo, revealed that a neighbour of the victim had been arrested in connection with the incident.

He explained that the neighbour had repeatedly called the officer on the night of the abduction, urging him to return home or disclose his location, insisting it was urgent.

“My brother eventually came home and went to the neighbour’s compound. While they were there, another neighbour joined them. Suddenly, the gunmen arrived, went straight to my brother, and abducted only him at gunpoint, leaving the others behind,” he said.

He added that the neighbour’s behavior was suspicious, which led the family to alert the police. The suspect is now in custody pending further investigation.

“As of now, the kidnappers have contacted us. They’re demanding a ₦20 million ransom for his release,” he said.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Nigerian Immigration Service were unsuccessful, as were attempts to contact Benue State Police PRO, Catherine Anene, whose phone rang out at the time of filing this report.