Gunmen Abduct Six Nigerian Law School Students, Demand ₦120m Ransom

Six students of the Nigerian Law School have been abducted by suspected gunmen while traveling to resume studies at the Yola campus in Adamawa State, iReporter Online has learned. The incident reportedly occurred late Saturday along the route between Wukari in Taraba State and parts of Benue State—an area notorious for insecurity.

The victims were returning from their court externship break and had set out from Onitsha, Anambra State. According to student sources, the abductors have contacted relatives, demanding ₦20 million per victim—bringing the total ransom request to ₦120 million.

A fellow law student at the Yola campus, Damilare Adenola, confirmed the incident in a phone conversation, stating that the missing individuals include Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David. One classmate, Chisom, recounted how his call to one of the victims was answered amid background noise. The victim reportedly cried out that he had been kidnapped and urged a colleague to help raise ₦20 million for his release.

According to iReporter Online, news of the abduction had already been circulating among students and relatives, some of whom learned of it as early as Thursday. One student in Bayelsa was reportedly informed by the wife of one of the abducted individuals.

Student leaders at the Yola campus confirmed that the case had been reported to the police. The spokesperson for the Adamawa State Police Command, Yahaya Suleiman, confirmed that the command was aware of the incident but clarified that the abduction took place outside Adamawa’s jurisdiction.

He assured that authorities were working in coordination with the Benue State Police Command and other security agencies to secure the safe release of the victims. “We are cooperating with our counterparts in Benue and other sister agencies to ensure these students are rescued,” Suleiman stated.

As of press time, efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Anene Catherine, had not yielded a response.

This incident adds to a troubling pattern, as students of the Nigerian Law School have been targeted by kidnappers in the past. In 2022, two students from the Agbani campus in Enugu State were abducted from a local market and taken to an undisclosed location.