..abductors demand N70m ransom
Editor
Dr. Emmanuel Barki, the acting rector of Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, has been kidnapped alongside some staff of the institution by unknown armed men along the Otukpo-Enugu highway.
The victims were said to be on their way back from Makurdi to Ugbokolo, Okpokwu Local Government Area, LGA, of the state when they ran into an ambush by the armed men.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident, said the issue was already being investigated.
The news of the abduction of the rector and his team, including the driver, got to the school on Thursday 11th July
According to a staff who spoke on anonymity: “We gathered that they were all on their way from Makurdi to Ugbokolo and were waylaid and got kidnapped along the Otukpo-Enugu highway.
“The kidnappers were said to have abandoned the school bus they were travelling in and whisked them into the bush.
“From what we heard today, the kidnappers have already contacted the family of the Rector and are demanding a ransom of N70 million.”
Contacted, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internal Security, Chief Joseph Har, who confirmed the development, said his men were already combing the forests to rescue the victims, noting that he was not aware of the demand for ransom by the abductors.
