RELEASED LAW SCHOOL STUDENT RECOUNTS TORTURE, RANSOM PAYMENT IN BENUE KIDNAPPING ORDEAL
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Agency Report
One of the six abducted Nigerian Law School students recently released from captivity in Benue State has detailed the brutal treatment they endured while being held hostage in a remote forest for nearly a week.
David Obiorah, speaking in an exclusive telephone interview with on Monday, revealed that he and his five colleagues were flogged daily with tree stems, fed once a day with inedible food, and forced to drink muddy water during their time in captivity between Saturday, July 26 and Thursday, July 31, 2025.
“They flogged us with tree stems. They served us rice made with palm oil that looked like amala. We also drank muddy water,” Obiorah said, describing their living conditions as inhumane.
The students were reportedly kidnapped along the Zakibiam-Wukari axis on the Benue-Taraba border while travelling from Anambra State to the Nigerian Law School campus in Yola, Adamawa State.
Contrary to claims by the Benue State Police Command that the victims were rescued by security forces, Obiorah insisted the captives were released only after each paid a N10 million ransom. “The Nigeria Police did not rescue us. The Nigerian Law School did not rescue us. Each of us paid N10 million for our release,” he said.
One student, believed to be a minor due to his youthful appearance, was released without ransom. “They said he looked like a minor because of his baby face,” Obiorah explained.
According to Obiorah, the kidnappers who were about 10 in number spoke mostly in Tiv, and the gang’s leader, identified as “Matthew”, appeared to be a former soldier or trained militant. After their abduction, the kidnappers’ vehicle broke down, and the victims were transported on motorcycles to a small hut in the forest, where they met four other captives, including a female victim and a corps member named Wisdom.
Obiorah revealed that while the male victims were kept together, the female captive was isolated in a separate hut with the gang leader. “She was alone with their boss throughout,” he said.
The victims were tortured daily and kept in a community-like environment where villagers appeared to be fully aware of the kidnappings. “The women in the village cooked for us, and small children watched us when we were brought out. The entire community seemed complicit,” Obiorah said.
He described the area as being under the control of the kidnappers, with villagers, women, and children freely interacting with the armed gang. “Only four of them had guns, but the rest carried machetes and other dangerous weapons,” he added.
The chilling account highlights the worsening security crisis in parts of Nigeria, particularly in the North Central region, where kidnapping for ransom continues to surge, often with little or no state intervention.
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