Kidnapped student reveals N40 million ransom paid for release of 30 hostages in Nasarawa

Nasarawa Polytechnic’s kidnapped students have disclosed that the kidnappers collected about N40 million in ransom before they were granted freedom.

About 30 travellers, including some students of the polytechnic, were abducted by kidnappers along the Abuja-Nasarawa Highway on Friday.

The kidnappers ambushed the vehicles transporting the travellers and took them into a nearby bush in the Uke area of Nasarawa State. A student among the abductees was travelling to her family in Abuja at the time of the incident.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, the victim described how the seven-man gang attacked their vehicles, shot at the tires, and stole their possessions before abducting them into the jungle.

She went on to say that once the victims were in the dense jungle, the kidnappers let them rest since they realized they were fatigued. Around midnight on Saturday, the kidnappers told the prisoners to call their family and demand a ransom of N10 million each.

The victim also alleged that after repeated pleads, the kidnappers divided them into students and non-students, demanding that students pay N10 million collectively and others pay N10 million individually.

“We, who are students, started calling our relatives and money was rallied around to make the payment,” she said. “There is an Alhaji among the other group who raised about N20m and other people raised about N10m. The total money they got was about N40m.”

She went on to say, “We didn’t see a single police officer until we were released.” They only let us go when they confirmed that they had received the money. We went to the police station and were told to prepare a statement.”

A relative of the victim previously reported that the victim had contacted her family to inform them of her release. “She contacted us this morning, stating that they had been released. “I’m on my way to the police station because the number she called from has been unreachable since,” the relative stated.

Attempts to contact the Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Rahman Nansel, were fruitless, since mails and phone calls went unanswered at the time of reporting this story.