Kidnapped Law School Students Paid ₦10m Ransom Each — Victim Refutes Police Rescue Claim
David Obiora, a Nigerian Law School student, has dismissed police claims that he and five other abducted students were rescued from kidnappers, stating that their release only came after each victim paid ₦10 million in ransom.
Obiora, from Anambra State, recounted that he was kidnapped on July 20 while en route to the Yola Campus of the Nigerian Law School. Traveling aboard an Al Dampulo Transport bus from Onitsha, their journey was interrupted along the Zakibiam-Mukari Expressway when kidnappers blocked the road with sticks and tables. The driver’s attempt to flee failed, leading to their abduction.
He revealed that six law students and several traders were taken captive. During their five-day ordeal, they were tortured, starved, and forced to drink muddy water.
“We paid ₦10 million each. The police didn’t rescue us—they never even came close,” Obiora said.
He further disclosed that the Council of Legal Education made no effort to intervene in their release. After paying the ransom, the victims trekked through the bush from Benue to Taraba State before finding help at a roadside restaurant.
Obiora described the kidnappers’ camp in Jota, Benue State—a Tiv community—as a hub for organized kidnapping, alleging that elderly women cooked for the captives while children watched over them.
According to him, the gang leader, a former soldier, has been in the kidnapping business for nine years, owns several cars, pays off military officials, and works with a ritualist from Kano to detect and evade security operations.
“They told me they don’t kill victims—they only collect ransom. The leader settles security agents and uses the community as a shield,” Obiora claimed.
He urged the federal government to launch airstrikes and a full-scale military operation to dismantle the camp and end the menace.
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