‘No One Rescued Us’: Nigerian Law School Students Detail Harrowing Kidnap, ₦50m Ransom

Six students of the Nigerian Law School, en route to the institution’s Yola campus in Adamawa State, were reportedly kidnapped by suspected armed bandits on the night of Saturday, July 26, along the perilous Benue-Taraba boundary, a route notorious for frequent ambushes and criminal activities. The students were said to be heading back to campus after completing their mandatory court attachment, with academic activities scheduled to resume on Monday, July 28.

Among those kidnapped  were Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel and Obiorah David. 

In a statement on August 12, the Public Relations Officer of the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, announced the release of the abducted students, claiming they had been rescued by security forces.

“Please be informed that the police have successfully rescued six law students of the Yola campus, who were abducted on July 26, 2025, while traveling from Anambra State to Adamawa State, have been safely released and united with their families this morning, August 1, 2025,” the statement read.

In an interview on Monday following their release, one of the six abducted Nigerian Law School students, David Obiorah, narrated the harrowing ordeal they endured at the hands of their kidnappers, while held captive in a forest along the Zakibiam-Wukari area between Saturday and Thursday. 

During this interview, Obiorah stated that the statement released by the Benue Police was categorically false; “For the record, the Nigerian Police did not rescue us. The Nigerian Law School did not rescue us. Each one of us paid N10m for our release.”

While one of the students was freed earlier without a ransom, due to his childlike appearance leading the kidnappers to assume he was a minor, Obiorah confirmed that the remaining five had to pay the ransom individually. 

Describing the environment where they were held, he referred to the area as a remote village where the community’s women cooked for them [the captives], and children and elders moved around freely.

“The villagers were aware of everything that was happening. Whenever they brought us out, small children would look at us,” he said. “Their leader, Matthew, looked like a soldier. We saw other villagers moving about normally. It was as if the entire community was complicit.” 

One of the kidnappers, according to Obiora, openly bragged about being in the business for nine years, boasting of owning a Toyota Highlander and other cars, while his wife and children lived comfortably and attended school outside the forest.

Calling for drastic government intervention, Obiora urged the Nigerian military to carry out airstrikes and clear the forested region completely, as he believes the kidnappers use the local community as a shield to ward off unwanted government interference.