{"id":195434,"date":"2026-02-19T12:42:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T11:42:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom"},"modified":"2026-02-19T13:51:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:51:09","slug":"benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom","title":{"rendered":"Benue: 14 abducted passengers regain freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>Fourteen passengers of Igede origin who were abducted along the Utonkon\u2013Okpokwu axis in Benue State have been freed after a reported ransom payment of N1 million.<\/p>\n

The victims were part of a 16-member group from Obi and Oju Local Government Areas traveling to the South-West when they were attacked around 7pm on February 9.<\/p>\n

During the incident, gunmen allegedly shot at their vehicle after the driver failed to stop, killing two occupants on the spot.<\/p>\n

The National Publicity Secretary of the Igede Youth Council, Jairus Awo Otakom, announced their release in a statement shared on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cThe Igede Youth Council officially announces the release of our brothers and sisters who were abducted on February 9, 2026, along the Utonkon-Okpokwu Road. We thank the Almighty for their safe return to their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Otakom disclosed that the ransom was sourced through joint efforts by the victims\u2019 families and the National Union of Road Transport Workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe families of the victims painstakingly contributed N500,000, which was augmented by a N500,000 contribution from the National Union of Road Transport Workers, totalling one million naira paid to the captors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cWhile we celebrate their lives, we remain saddened that ordinary citizens must pay for the security that should be guaranteed by the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

The council praised the transport union for its leadership and financial backing, noting that its intervention played a key role in securing the captives\u2019 freedom.<\/p>\n

It also appealed to the Benue State Government to reimburse the affected families and strengthen security presence along the Utonkon\u2013Okpokwu corridor to safeguard commuters.<\/p>\n

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of Oju Local Government Area, Jackson Ominyi, confirmed that the abducted passengers had regained freedom but said he could not confirm the ransom figure.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I was told that they have been released. On the ransom paid, I don\u2019t have the idea, but no amount of money can equal their lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cRemember, two of them lost their lives, but if ransom was paid to secure the others\u2019 release, I don\u2019t think it is a bad thing, though I don\u2019t know the amount.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ominyi decried the recurring security challenges on the road and disclosed plans to meet with neighbouring council chairmen to improve safety measures.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, said she was yet to confirm the report.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will get back to you on this report when I get details,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. Fourteen passengers of Igede origin who were abducted along the Utonkon\u2013Okpokwu axis in Benue State have been freed after a reported ransom payment of N1 million. The victims were part of a 16-member group from Obi and Oju Local Government Areas traveling to the South-West when they were attacked around 7pm on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":195433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[254],"class_list":["post-195434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\nBenue: 14 abducted passengers regain freedom - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fourteen passengers of Igede origin who were abducted along the Utonkon\u2013Okpokwu axis in Benue State have been freed afte ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Benue: 14 abducted passengers regain freedom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fourteen passengers of Igede origin who were abducted along the Utonkon\u2013Okpokwu axis in Benue State have been freed afte ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-19T11:42:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-19T12:51:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/sm_1771505436.66731.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Benue: 14 abducted passengers regain freedom\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-19T11:42:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-19T12:51:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom\"},\"wordCount\":435,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/sm_1771505436.66731.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/benue-14-abducted-passengers-regain-freedom\",\"name\":\"Benue: 14 abducted passengers regain freedom - 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