Wednesday, September 30, 2026 -Residents of Tyomu community in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benu State blocked the Makurdi/Gboko Road to protest against the kidnapping of 18 mourners.
It was gathered that the mourners, most of them women, were
abducted last Friday evening, 25 September 2026, immediately after Adoka along
the Makurdi-Naka-Adoka-Ankpa Road while they were travelling to Kogi State for
a burial ceremony.
Sources told newsmen that the kidnappers contacted family
members demanding N30 million as ransom. It was said that the community, after
tasking themselves, were able to raise and pay N3 million. But after paying the
ransom, the kidnappers still denied the victims freedom.
Reacting to the development, community members on Tuesday,
September 29, blocked the road, demanding action from government officials to
locate and free their relatives.
The protesters were seen wielding fresh palm fronds and
chanting songs in their native language while their activities caused a traffic
jam along the road, keeping motorists stranded for hours.
Speaking to the Sun Newspaper in Makurdi, the Special
Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief
Joseph Har, confirmed receiving the report of the kidnapping incident, but
noted that he was yet to ascertain the exact number of people involved.
“The incident actually happened. As I speak to you now, I
have reported it to the relevant security agencies, who are also working on it.
We located the place, the DPO of Adoka and the security operatives in
surrounding areas are working tirelessly to see how they can get to the
location,” he said.
He however noted the challenge with kidnapping.
"The worst thing about kidnapping is that the location
from which the kidnappers make their calls is usually different from where the
victims are actually being kept. So, it is not as straightforward as people may
think.
“It is therefore a challenge for security agencies to
navigate and identify the exact location. But we are careful when handling
these matters. We are working on this particular case, and I do not hide
information from the families of the victims. I keep them informed about how
far we have gone, where we are and what the next steps are."
He, however advised residents to stop travelling at night in
order not to fall victim.
"First of all, travelling to Kogi State at night is a
concern. How can people be travelling to Kogi State at night especially when
everybody is aware of how dangerous the situation along that route is? This is
not correct, we should not be putting people under pressure,” he said.
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Information and
Orientation, Chief Solomon Iorpev, has also confirmed the incident and called
for calm as the state government is working to remedy the situation.
Iorpev, in a phone conversation, narrated: “Some women from
Tyomu, a community after the Air Force Base, hired Ejifa Travel Services to
transport them for a burial, an arrangement they usually make, to and fro,
while travelling for such occasions. So, around Ankpa, they were kidnapped.
“The position of the Commissioner of Police is that the
company did not report the incident to the police. It was the protest by the
affected people that eventually brought the matter to the attention of the
Commissioner of Police.”
He however stated that the Commissioner of Police is out, at
the time of filing this report, to liaise with the transport company and the
families of the affected persons to see how they can begin tracing the
kidnapped victims.
He urged transport companies in the state to be proactive in
passing such sensitive information, saying: “If your company is involved in an
incident or something goes wrong, the people concerned should be informed and
the appropriate authorities should be notified. That way, everyone knows what
is happening and the necessary steps can be taken.
“However, now that we are aware of what is going on, the
Commissioner of Police will lead his team to see what can be done to resolve
the matter in the shortest possible time. So we are calling for calm, the
government will do something as soon as possible,” Iorpev added.
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