Benue: 20 kidnapped Tyomu residents regain freedom after N8m ransom payment

At least 20 people abducted from Tyomu community in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State have regained their freedom after their captors reportedly received N8 million in ransom and food items worth more than N500,000.

The victims, including women, were said to have been released on Thursday night in a forest along the Otukpo-Ogbadibo road, near the Benue-Kogi border, after spending several days in captivity.

One of the relatives of the victims, Simon Igidi, whose wife was among those abducted, confirmed the development to journalists in Makurdi.

Igidi said the victims arrived in Makurdi around midnight and were subsequently taken to hospitals for medical examination and treatment.

According to him, an elderly woman who was among the abductees was released on the same Friday the group was kidnapped and eventually returned to her home in Tyomu on Monday evening.

He explained that the other 19 victims were freed after the ransom was paid and the requested foodstuffs and groceries were supplied to the kidnappers.

Igidi disclosed that those released comprised eight women from Tyomu, three persons from Vandeikya and nine others from the Wurukum area of Makurdi.

Meanwhile, PureBioTech Nigeria Limited has donated N1 million towards the rehabilitation and welfare of the victims.

The donation was presented to representatives of the Tyomu community by Alhaji Abdulkadir Mohammed at the company’s premises on Thursday.

Mohammed said the donation was part of the company’s corporate social responsibility, adding that the ethanol-producing company was concerned about the humanitarian needs of its host community.

In a similar development, the Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area, Joseph Keffi, who reportedly visited the Tyomu community where most of the victims reside, donated N1.5 million to assist the affected residents.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Peter Aondongu, said the command had not received any official report concerning the incident.