Six Nigerian law school students' abductors demand N120 million ransom.

On Saturday, the students were traveling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School in Adamawa State when they were reportedly kidnapped in Benue State by alleged gunmen. 

The incident occurred late on Saturday as the Nigerian Law School's Yola campus prepared to resume academic activities following their court externship break. The campus is scheduled to reopen on Monday (today). 

A fellow law student at the Yola campus, Damilare Adenola, confirmed the incident in a Sunday telephone interview with our correspondent, stating, "Six students of the Nigerian Law School have reportedly been kidnapped by suspected bandits while traveling to resume school after their court externship break.

"The missing students  has been identified. Rev Ernest Okafor, Fabian Ogbuka, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Emmanuel Obalem, and David Obiorah He says that the reports say that the kidnapping happened on the road between Wukari in Taraba State and a part of Benue State, a place known for being unsafe and where travelers are frequently attacked. 

The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of N20 million for each of the six Nigerian law school students, according to a new update on the situation. On Sunday evening, sources at the Nigerian Law School's Yola campus informed GLOBALGISTZNG that the suspected gunmen had made contact with the victims' relatives and colleagues in order to negotiate a ransom payment. 

Chisom, one of the students, said that until she tried to get in touch with some of the victims, he initially dismissed the news. He said, “We heard the news this morning (Sunday) that some of our classmates were abducted. Because I knew each of them and didn't want to believe it, I started calling a few of them. Three of the victims were disconnected when I tried to call them. 

He answered the call when I tried one of them again. When he finally spoke, he screamed that he had been kidnapped and instructed a colleague to send N20 million for his release despite the background noise. He also said that he talked to another classmate in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, who knew about the incident already. 

He informed me that since Thursday, he had been aware of the kidnapping. According to him, the wife of one of the victims reached out to inform him about it. That's when we found out that the kidnapping took place in Benue State,' he said. Due to the sensitive nature of the situation, an anonymous student leader at the Yola campus told GLOBALGISTNG that the incident had already been reported to the police. 

“We are currently in Yola. The Adamawa State Police Command has been contacted by us. We just need more information from them. We do not have any concrete information yet,” the student leader said. Yahaya Suleiman, the Adamawa State Police Command's spokesperson, confirmed when contacted on Sunday that the command was aware of the kidnapping but clarified that the incident did not take place within Adamawa's jurisdiction. 

The kidnapping did not take place in Adamawa State. Suleiman advised that you get in touch with the Benue State Police Command for more information. Additionally, he reassured the public that both commands were collaborating closely to ensure the students' safe return. 

“To ensure that those entering Adamawa are safe and free of harassment and intimidation, we collaborate not only with the police in other states but also with other sister agencies. He stated, "The command is working with officers and men from the Benue State Police Command to ensure that these students are rescued." 

As of the time this report was written, attempts to reach Anene Catherine, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, were unsuccessful due to her inability to return phone calls or messages. Students at the Nigerian Law School have been kidnapped a number of times before. 

Two students from the Nigerian Law School's Agbani campus in Enugu State were reportedly kidnapped in 2022 by gunmen. It was said that the students were on their way to the Eke Agbani market to buy food when they were attacked and taken to an unknown location.