•••Forest Combing for Rescue Operation Begins
From Attah Ede Makurdi
The Benue State Police Command, on Tuesday, disclosed that a tactical squad from the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun has arrived in the State to carry out rescue operations of the abducted catholic medical students.
The command police public relations officer SP Catherine Anene who disclosed this to our correspondent on phone, said the tactical team which arrived the State on Monday.
According to her, the team has come to join forces with the command’s intelligent team already on ground and had been despatched to Otukpo for the rescue operations.
Anene stated further that the State Commissioner of Police, Hassan Yabanet led the team to Otukpo as soon as they arrived in the State.
“The IG team arrived yesterday (Monday) and were promptly led by the Commissioner of Police to Otukpo, so the team and the CP are in Otukpo now.” She said
She said the police teams are l in the State to assist in the investigation of the incidence and also comb all the forests in and around the Otukpo axis.
Recall that 20 medical students of the University of Maiduguri and that of University of Jos and a House Officer who were kidnapped on Thursday night along Otukpo- Enugu Highway, Benue State and still in captivity.
The Federation of Catholic Medical and DentalStudents (FCMDS), last Friday night, released the full names of her kidnapped members after the incidence was confirmed by the Benue State Police Command.
Two days later, the armed criminals opened up using one of the victims and demanded N50 million ransom for the release of the
One of the students, Kwaghaondo Aondona Kingsley, had sneaked his phone and alerted the public by posting a desperate message on his X account.
In his tweet, Kingsley revealed that the group of students had been without food for two days, and called on government and families of victims to intervene for their immediate release.
“We were kidnapped on our way to Enugu for a convention. They are requesting 50 million naira for the 20 of us medical students.
“Please help us; we haven’t eaten for two days. Contact Pius at 08163420157—he is coordinating the funds,” said one of the kidnapped victims who tweeted from the kidnappers’ den.
“They said they would start killing us tomorrow,” Kingsley said.
But the police command in Benue State denied knowledge of the N50 million ransom demanded by the bandits.
However, five days after the incidence, security operatives are engrossed in the search for the abducted students in the forests of Benue.
Th ey are seriously helping our command in the rescue operations. So far, non of the students has been rescued. The team are combing Otukpo forest”, Anene added.
