Protest Rocks Benue Over Kidnap Of 18 Women On their Way to burial.

…… Incidence Regrettable- State Govt.

From Attah Ede, Makurdi 

Protest has rocked Tyo-Mu community in Makurdi LGA of Benue State on Tuesday over abduction of 18 women on  their way to attend a burial at Kogi State.

The angry protesters, predominantly women and youths in their thousands barricaded the ever-busy Makurdi-Gboko Road around Tyo-Mu area, chanting war songs and demanding for the immediate release of their kidnapped members.

The protest, which started in the early hours of the day, obstructed all vehicular movement, thereby  leaving hundreds of commuters  stranded for many hours.

Our correspondent gathered that the problem began after about  18 women from Tyo-Mu Community were traveling to attend a burial ceremony in Kogi State and were waylaid and kidnapped by suspected kidnappers along the  boundary between Adoka community in Benue State and Ankpa community in Kogi State.

Community sources told  journalists in Makurdi on Tuesday that the abductors initially demanded a ransom of N30 million for the release of the women.

While pleading anonymity, the sources further said that the people of Tyomu, who are predominantly farmers, responded by raising the sum of N3 million, which was paid to the kidnappers, but the abductors failed to release their victims.

The development triggered outrage in the community, leading to the protest where all roads were blocked and no vehicle allowed to pass through the barricaded areas of the Tyo-Mu community.

The situation became so harsh with a tense atmosphere as it gradually  turned to protesting civilians versus the military personnel who were deployed to calm the situation and reopen the highway.

Due to the chaos occasioned by the protest, motorists traveling from Makurdi to Gboko, Katsina-Ala and beyond, and those coming into Makurdi from the opposite axis were forced to park by the roadside.

The protesters vowed never to vacate the road until their mothers and sisters abducted were released alive and unhurt.

 They also called on the Benue State Government and security agencies to urgently intervene and rescue the kidnapped women.

Meanwhile the Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Internal Security, Joseph Har confirmed the kidnapping of the women, whom he said were actually Kidnapped on their way to attend a burial at Kogi State.

“I got the report of the kidnapping incident, but I don’t know the exact number of people involved.

“First of all, travelling to Kogi State at night is a concern, People would be traveling to Kogi state in the night especially when everybody is aware of how dangerous the  situation along that route is. So, this is not correct , we shouldn’t be putting people under pressure.

“Secondly, the incident actually happened. As I speak to you now, I have reported it to the relevant security agencies, who are also working on it.

“We located the place, the DPO of Adoka in Otukpo local government area and the security guards in surrounding areas are working tirelessly to see how they can get to the location”, Har said.

He lamented that the worst thing about kidnapping is that the location from which the kidnappers make their calls is usually different from where the victims are actually being kept, stressing that it is not as straightforward as people may think.

” It is therefore a challenge for security agencies to navigate and identify the exact location.It is not as easy as people think. You cannot just storm a location because, if there is collateral damage, if you want to chase the people the way they want us to chase them, while trying to rescue the victims, you may end up hurting them.

“That is why we are always careful when handling these matters. We are working on this particular case, and I do not hide information from the families of the victims. I keep them informed about how far we have gone, where we are and what the next steps are.However, I understand that the families later went to the road and started blocking it”, he maintained.

The Benue State commissioner for information and orientation, Solomon Iorpev, equally confirmed the incident, saying the government is on top of the situation.

According to him, the people from the community of Tyo-Mu, after the Air Force Base, are protesting after some women hired Ejifa Travel Services to transport them for a burial in Kogi State.

He explained that whenever those people were travelling for such occasions, the company would provide vehicles to take them to the venue and bring them back.

“So, around the Ankpa community in Kogi State, they were kidnapped. The position of the Commissioner of Police is that the company did not report the incident to the police. Ordinarily, if something like this happens, the company should immediately inform the relevant security agencies. 

“It was the protest by the affected people that eventually brought the matter to the attention of the Commissioner of Police. 

The Commissioner of Police is out now to liaise with the transport company and the  families of the affected persons to see how they can begin the tracing of the kidnapped victims.

“If your company is involved in an incident or something goes wrong, the people concerned should be informed and the appropriate authorities should be notified. That way, everyone knows what is happening and the necessary steps can be taken.

“Now, the families are protesting and calling on the government to intervene, but the proper official channel for reporting such an incident would have been the police, particularly the Commissioner of Police.

“I have not even been informed about the incident, and that is very unfortunate. We regret what happened. However, now that we are aware of what is going on, the Commissioner of Police will lead his team to see what can be done to resolve the matter in the shortest possible time”, Iorpev stated.

The information commissioner therefore called on families of the affected victims to maintain calm, assuring that the government will do something as soon as possible.