Benue Women Protest as Community Says 18 Residents Were Abducted on Burial Trip
Women from Tyomu community in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State have protested on the Makurdi-Gboko highway after residents reported that members of their community were abducted while travelling to a burial in Kogi State.
Community accounts put the number taken at 18, including eight women.
Police and the Benue State Government, however, have not independently confirmed that figure.
That distinction remains critical as security agencies continue efforts to locate those reported missing.
Community Says Vehicle Was Attacked on Adoka-Ankpa Road
Residents say members of the community hired a vehicle to travel to Kogi State for a burial when they were attacked along the Adoka-Ankpa road.
One protester, identified as Doshima, said all 18 passengers in the vehicle were abducted.
She also said eight of those taken were women.
The figure has been widely reported from community accounts but remains unconfirmed by police.
Police say patrol officers found an abandoned vehicle along the route and suspect its occupants were abducted.
The governor’s security adviser, Joseph Har, separately confirmed receiving a kidnapping report but said he did not yet know the exact number of people involved.
Protest Blocks Makurdi-Gboko Highway
The uncertainty did not stop anger from spreading in Tyomu.
Women from the community moved onto the Makurdi-Gboko highway and blocked traffic while calling on government and security agencies to secure the release of their relatives.
Police later said the road was cleared and movement restored.
The protest reflects the immediate pressure on families who say their relatives remain in captivity.
It also raises a wider public-safety question about travel along the Adoka-Ankpa corridor and how quickly security agencies can respond when an abduction is reported.
Ransom Claim Remains Unverified
Doshima also alleged that the abductors contacted relatives and demanded ₦30 million.
She said residents had raised and paid ₦3 million, but the victims had not been released.
Those ransom details remain a community claim.
IDNN has not independently established either the demand or payment.
Publishing operational details about negotiations, captive locations or rescue activity could also put victims at greater risk.
Government Says Rescue Efforts Are Underway
Har said security agencies were working on the case.
The state information commissioner also said police had been alerted and that efforts were underway to resolve the situation.
Police spokesperson Peter Aondongu said the command had not initially received a formal report about the kidnapping, although patrol officers had discovered the abandoned vehicle.
That delayed reporting is itself an accountability issue.
A major abduction can become harder to respond to when police lack a verified passenger list, immediate family contact and an early formal report.
The First Task Is Establishing Who Is Missing
For Tyomu families, the strongest immediate need is not another estimate.
It is a verified list of the people missing.
That list would allow police and other agencies to establish how many people were taken, who they are and whether any have been released or rescued.
Until that happens, IDNN is treating the figure of 18 as a community-reported count, not an independently confirmed total.
The next meaningful update will be a verified victim list, a confirmed rescue or release, or an official account that reconciles the conflicting numbers.
