Kidnappers in Kogi State abducted lawyer Peace Udoka and five other passengers shortly after they drove past army and police checkpoints near the new army barracks in Okene, Kogi State, on Friday.
Udoka, who attended the Nigerian Law School in Enugu, was among the over 4,437 lawyers inducted to the Nigeria Bar by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Abuja between Tuesday and Thursday.
After her successful induction, she hopped on a bus owned by Big Joe Transport on Friday for her return trip to Edo State.
On getting to Okene, the kidnappers waylaid the bus and successfully took five of them away.
In a telephone voice recording obtained from Onuigbo ThankGod Obumneme, one of her colleagues, the divisional police officer (DPO) of the nearest police station told Udoka’s colleagues that they had made initial rescue efforts.
“Based on efforts we put in place, we succeeded in rescuing five, including the driver,” said the DPO.
“I think they were eight or nine in number. Only four or five are with the kidnappers. Since when the incident happened, myself, the area commander, army and other sister security agents, we went inside the bush between 6 and 6:30 in the evening that same day.
“We are building on our efforts to get others out. The vehicle and the driver are with me.”
The DPO passed the call to a man who identified himself as the bus driver. FIJ could not independently ascertain the driver’s name at press time.
The man spoke in Pidgin while explaining how the incident occurred, saying the kidnappers were dressed in military uniforms.
“Before the prison yard, e get one army barracks wey dem build newly for that Okene bush. As we pass that barracks, we now pass the police checkpoint, e no even reach 1km before dem [kidnappers] come out,” the driver recounted.
“They wear soldiers’ uniforms. Two come out for my front, they shoot. Dem they shoot face-to-face. The one dey shoot for the back. We come dey their middle. Before they [security operatives] reach there, they run away.
“Na six passengers they took for my motor. The manager for Abuja called me now say dem don dey call them for ransom.
“Na only me there with the police now. Four others wey police rescue don komot yesterday night, dem say they wan return to Abuja.”
The last time a friend chatted with her, Udoka said their bus was close to Lokoja.
“We chatted actively till 3 pm yesterday [Friday]. By 12 pm, she said she was close to Lokoja,” the friend wrote on WhatsApp.
“She contacted me [Saturday] with a new number this morning by 7:41. She was crying; she said that she had been kidnapped.”
FIJ contacted the transport company via a phone number copied from the Google Review page. Kingdavid Ewansiha, who described himself as the Northern Zone manager for the company, responded, saying he had not received any report about the incident.
The Kogi State Police Command also said it had no knowledge of the abduction when FIJ called on Saturday.
“I have not received any report about such an incident,” said William Aya, Kogi Command spokesperson, on the phone. “Let me call the Okene DPO to find out.”
FIJ has documented a series of abductions and how kidnappers made a killing from their victims in Kogi, suggesting that the region, which serves as a connecting state with the Federal Capital Territory, has become a kidnapping hotspot.
FIJ reported in August 2022 that 14 Indians were abducted while police officers protecting them were murdered in Kogi. Two incidents were reported between May and July 2021. Three family members of Ahmed Ajobe, a former Daily Trust editor, were also kidnapped in the state in November.
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