Kidnappers have asked for N150 million to release six directors from the Federal Ministry of Defence who were seized on Monday along the Kabba–Lokoja highway in Kogi State. The officials were travelling from Lagos to Abuja for a directorate-level promotion examination when the attackers stopped their vehicle and took them away.
The families of the victims said the ransom demand has caused more fear and confusion as they struggle to understand how to raise such an amount. One relative said the families are distressed and only want their loved ones to return home safely.
The abduction has raised new concerns about growing insecurity on major roads, especially as travellers continue to face attacks despite repeated assurances from security agencies.
The Association of Senior Staff of the Federal Ministry of Defence, in a statement issued on Tuesday, condemned the attack and told members that security teams have been deployed to work on rescuing the victims. The group also released the names of the kidnapped directors: Ngozi Ibeziakor, Emeribe, Helen Ezeakor, Ladoye, J. Onwuzurike, and Catherine Essien. All of them work at Command Day Secondary School in Ojo, Lagos.
Security operatives are now trying to track the kidnappers and rescue the officials, while the ransom demand has drawn fresh attention to the government’s struggle to control abductions and keep road users safe.