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Abducted Nigerian Law School Students Say They Paid N10m Each For Freedom, Accuse Police of Lying About Rescue

David Obiora, one of the Nigerian Law School students kidnapped on his way to the Yola Campus, has revealed that he and five others paid N10 million each to regain their freedom, contradicting claims by the Nigerian Police that they were rescued. Obiora, who hails from Anambra State, recounted the ordeal in a chilling interview, […]

David Obiora, one of the Nigerian Law School students kidnapped on his way to the Yola Campus, has revealed that he and five others paid N10 million each to regain their freedom, contradicting claims by the Nigerian Police that they were rescued.

Obiora, who hails from Anambra State, recounted the ordeal in a chilling interview, dismissing security operatives’ reports that portrayed them as heroes. According to him, no rescue took place.

He narrated that on July 20, while traveling from Onitsha to Yola in an Al Dampulo Company vehicle, their bus was ambushed along the Zakibiam-Mukari Expressway. The attackers had blocked the road using sticks and tables, forcing the driver into the bush where the vehicle got stuck, making them easy targets.

“There were six of us heading to law school among the passengers. The rest were traders and other travellers. We were beaten daily, starved, and given only dirty, muddy water to drink,” Obiora said.

Held in captivity for five days — from July 26 to July 31 — the students were subjected to severe hardship until their families managed to pay the ransom demanded by their captors. Contrary to police statements, Obiora insisted that “no security force came close” and that the entire release was brokered through ransom payments.

“There was no police rescue. They were afraid of the kidnappers. They didn’t even come near,” he stated.

After their release, the students reportedly trekked for hours through bush paths from Benue to Taraba before arriving at a restaurant near a motor park. From there, a transport manager helped them reach Yola.

Obiora painted a damning picture of the kidnappers’ base, describing it as a fully complicit community. Elderly women, he said, prepared their meals while children casually watched them move around. “It’s a community business,” he alleged, identifying the area as Jota community, predominantly inhabited by the Tiv ethnic group in Benue State.

He also accused a former soldier, who now leads the kidnapping syndicate, of coordinating the operations. “They told me the leader is an ex-military man. He settles corrupt officers in the army and navy, owns cars including a Toyota Highlander, and sends his family to school while he remains hidden in the forest,” Obiora said.

Even more alarming, he claimed the group works with a spiritualist from Kano who helps them detect incoming security threats and neutralize them spiritually. “The jujuman tells them when soldiers are coming and spiritually blocks the operation,” he said.

Calling for military action, Obiora urged the Nigerian government to authorize airstrikes to eliminate the kidnappers’ stronghold. “They hide behind innocent civilians to shield themselves, but that forest should be cleared. That place should become dry land,” he declared.

He further stated that the Council of Legal Education did not intervene during their ordeal, noting that no institutional support came from the Law School or associated authorities.

The incident raises serious concerns about the growing kidnapping-for-ransom industry in Nigeria and the complicity of local communities and compromised security agents.


Tags: Insecurity, Kidnapping, Nigerian Law School, Police, Benue, Yola, Law Students, Ransom Payment, David Obiora, Military, Community Complicity

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