ABUJA — A Nigerian Law School student, David Obiora, who was abducted along with five others on July 26, 2025, has refuted claims by the Nigeria Police that they were rescued in Benue State, revealing instead that their release came only after each victim paid a N10 million ransom.
In an exclusive WhatsApp interview with Vanguard, Obiora narrated his harrowing experience, identifying the kidnappers as Tiv-speaking locals and stressing that the victims’ freedom was not the result of any security operation.
Obiora, a student at the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School, said they were ambushed along the Zakibiam-Mukari Expressway while en route to Yola in a company transport vehicle from Onitsha. The bus was carrying law students, three other passengers heading to Cameroon, and a woman travelling to Yola on holiday.
He said the kidnapping occurred at around 9 p.m. between Zakibiam and Mukari, close to Jootar town. About 10 armed men—four with AK-47 rifles—dragged the passengers deep into the bush, where they were held for six days.
“They drove the bus into the bush until it got stuck. They called for reinforcements, and others arrived on motorcycles. We were taken deeper into the forest, where we met four earlier abducted victims,” Obiora said.
Among the others held captive were a non-teaching staff of Federal University Wukari, a National Youth Service Corps member, a pastor recovering from surgery, and an unidentified man.
Obiora strongly denied the police narrative of a successful rescue. “Let the record be clear: the Nigeria Police did not rescue us. The Law School did not rescue us. The Council of Legal Education did not rescue us,” he stated. “We were released after our families and friends raised and paid the ransom.”
He further identified the kidnappers as locals who spoke Tiv, with a possible few Fulani accomplices who remained mostly silent.
Obiora gave a chilling account of life in captivity, revealing that children as young as two or three were seen playing with guns. “The kidnappers cocked rifles in front of these children. Their wives cooked for us and fetched muddy water—the same food they ate, we ate,” he said.
He also recalled how one of the kidnappers, named David, claimed to have been in the business for nine years, boasting about owning cars for his wife and sending his children to school. “David said he hasn’t been home in years because he’s a wanted man. Their leader, Matthew, claimed he has a ‘juju man’ in Kano who protects him spiritually,” Obiora added.
After their release, the victims had to trek through the forest for several hours before reaching a restaurant near a motor park in Taraba State, where they spent the night. They later contacted a transport company manager who helped them proceed to Yola.
The revelation by Obiora directly contradicts the earlier police statement claiming the students were rescued in a joint security operation. It also sheds light on the growing trend of banditry in Nigeria’s North Central region, often linked to different ethnic militia groups.
Obiora’s claim that the kidnappers were Tiv and operated freely within their local community raises serious questions about local complicity and the breakdown of security in the area.
As calls grow for a thorough investigation into the kidnapping and the circumstances surrounding the victims’ release, the case also reignites public concerns over the effectiveness and transparency of Nigeria’s security agencies in combating abduction-for-ransom.
