Four passengers escaped, while eleven were held hostage.
Unknown gunmen intercepted a Benue Links vehicle travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State to Makurdi, abducting eleven passengers including a staff member from the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA). The incident occurred on the Otukpo – Enugu expressway, along Olanyega/Ogbodo road in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State at around 2:30 pm on Sunday, September 17, 2023.
Four other passengers managed to escape, leaving eleven hostages.
The NTA staff member, Mr. Thomas Tikyaa, who worked as an accountant, was traveling from Abia State to Benue to visit his family when he was abducted.
The Zonal Director of NTA, Pam Dung Nyam, wrote a letter of complaint to the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, appealing for quick intervention to rescue the victims. Nyam reported the kidnapping and expressed the hope that the victim would be safely rescued and returned to his family.
A staff member of NTA, who preferred to remain anonymous, informed newsmen that the kidnappers had contacted Tikyaa’s family and demanded N50m ransom, which was later reduced to N10m.
The state Police Command spokesperson, SP Sewuese Anene, confirmed the kidnapping and stated that investigations are ongoing to identify those responsible for the crime. However, she did not mention the number of victims in the vehicle.