Women from Tyomu community in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State on Tuesday protested the abduction of 18 residents, including eight women, kidnapped along the Adoka-Ankpa road while travelling to Kogi State for a burial.
Our correspondent reports that the protesters blocked the Makurdi-Gboko road at Tyomu, Fidi Council Ward, demanding government intervention to secure the release of the victims, who were reportedly abducted by gunmen on Friday evening shortly after Adoka along the Benue/Kogi boundary.
The protesters said the victims, who were travelling in a bus to attend a burial, had remained in captivity despite efforts to raise money demanded by their abductors.
They said that the kidnappers demanded N30 million ransom, while residents reportedly raised and paid N3 million, but the victims were yet to be released.
The protesters who blocked the roads for several hours, thereby causing traffic gridlock, demanded that government officials come to the area and address them before they would reopen the road to traffic.
It was gathered that the Chairman of Makurdi LGA, Joseph Keffi, in company of other government officials, later arrived the scene where they assured the community that the council would collaborate with security agencies to secure the safe return of the abducted residents.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Peter Aondongu, however, told our correspondent on telephone that the command did not receive any formal report about the kidnapping, but that its operatives on patrol along the route at the weekend sighted an abandoned vehicle and suspected that occupants might have been taken away.
He said that the police could not confirm the number of victims abducted until the details of incident are made available to the command.
Aondongu, who said that the police later cleared the road, allowing motorists and other road users to move freely and businesses to resume in the area, further appealed to the protesting community for patience as security operatives are working to rescue the victims.
