Families Say Kidnappers Demand $23,000 Ransom for Victims’ Release
Security Experts Warn of Renewed Violence as Dry Season Returns
By Ekani Olikita
Armed Islamic Fulani Ethnic kidnappers abducted seven Christian mourners in two separate attacks along a major highway in central Nigeria’s Benue State, raising fears of renewed militia violence.
The attacks occurred Friday, October 30, 2026 at Adoka point along the Otukpo-Ohimini-Adoka Federal Highway in Benue South, where residents say a fragile three-month period of relative peace has ended.
Adoka in Otukpo County, is an agrarian and a Predominantly Christian community, located 45 miles Southwest of Makurdi, the State Capital. It has recently come to public attention due to activities of armed Fulani terrorists along the Federal Highway.
According to eyewitness accounts and relatives interviewed by TruthNigeria, approximately 17 heavily armed Islamic Fulani Ethnic Militia (IFEM) intercepted a Toyota Sharon carrying six Christian mourners, including the husband of a deceased woman whose body was being transported from Kano, northwestern Nigeria, to Okpoga, headquarters of Okpokwu County (Local Government Area).
The Kidnappers reportedly seized all six occupants at about 8 p.m., abandoning the woman’s corpse beside the highway.
Meddy Olotu, a Benue-based Human Rights Activist and Humanitarian, confirmed the abduction, saying “the corpse remained on the road overnight before Federal Road Safety Corps personnel evacuated it to Adoka. It was subsequently deposited in a hospital morgue.
“One relative of one of the victims confirmed to me that, the abductors were of Fulani Ethnic group”, Melvin told TruthNigeria
Ogwuche John, brother of the deceased woman’s husband, confirmed the abduction and said the kidnappers had contacted the family.
“My brother and five of his friends were kidnapped at about 8 p.m. along Adoka-Otukpo Road by about 17 well-armed Fulani Ethnic militia”
“The abductors communicated in Hausa, Fulfulde and some English, demanding 15 million naira, approximately $10,000, for the victims’ release”
“In our culture, we cannot bury his wife in his absence while he is still alive,” Ogwuche told TruthNigeria while describing the family’s anguish.
Second Attack Within an Hour
About an hour later, at approximately 9:03 p.m, another group of five armed fulani militiamen reportedly blocked the same highway, about a mile from the first attack, and abducted a lone traveler identified as Daddy Samson.
The victim was returning to Otukpo after attending a burial ceremony and intended to travel to Lagos the following day.
His father, Samson Adejo, a senior government official from Apa Local Government Area, confirmed the abduction in a telephone interview with TruthNigeria.
“My son, Daddy, was kidnapped on Friday by armed Fulani kidnappers. They contacted me on Saturday, speaking Fulfulde and English, demanding 20 million naira, approximately $13,000, before releasing him,”
“My family is currently traumatized. Where do we go from here?” Samson asked in a phone interview with TruthNigeria
The combined ransom demands amount to approximately $23,000, according to the victims’ families.
Residents Fear Return of Militia Camps
Ejiga Abraham, an Adoka resident, described the highway as a longstanding kidnapping corridor notorious for attacks on travelers.
He attributed the recent three-month lull in violence to the displacement of armed groups from parts of Benue South and the high water levels of the River Benue, which residents believe restricted movements of armed fulani militia across waterways from neighboring Nasarawa State.
With the dry season returning, residents fear renewed infiltration and attacks.
“The road is dangerous, especially at night. We had three months of peace and security because Fulani terrorists were driven away from Benue South, but they are now returning as the dry season has arrived,” Abraham told TruthNigeria.
He alleged that some kidnapped victims were taken to a forest detention facility known locally as Amla camp.
“Until the terrorist camps in the forests along Otukpo-Ohimini-Adoka Road are dismantled, attacks, kidnappings and killings will intensify,” he warned in an interview with TruthNigeria
TruthNigeria investigations in October 2025, involving local vigilantes, had previously documented alleged armed hostage camps along the highway.
Police Launch Rescue Operation
Otukpo County (Local Government Chairman) Maxwell Ogiri confirmed that the seven victims remained in captivity as of Tuesday, November 3.
He said security agencies were closing in on the kidnappers but declined to provide further details.
“No, the kidnapped victims have not been rescued but we are getting closer to the location of the abductors”, Maxwell told TruthNigeria
Benue State Police Command spokesman, DSP Peter Aondongu, also confirmed the incidents, saying police personnel had been deployed for search-and-rescue operations.
“We received the report and swiftly deployed our men to the location. They are on a search-and-rescue mission to free the victims,” Aondongu told TruthNigeria.
Pablo Agada Williams, a counterterrorism and kidnapping expert and Benue South Zonal Commander of the Civil Protection Guards, called for coordinated operations among security agencies.
“Violent attacks will continue to intensify as the dry season has arrived. Security personnel from all sister agencies must work together,” Pablo told TruthNigeria.
He warned that armed groups were increasingly deploying sophisticated weapons and operating in numbers capable of overwhelming isolated security formations.
Wider Security Implications
The latest kidnappings follow the October 13 abduction of Rev. Fr. John Inalegwu Otache, parish priest of St. Margaret’s Catholic Parish in Ajegbe-Awume, Ohimini Local Government Area, along the Otobi-Amejo-Ajegbe Road
The priest’s abduction heightened concerns about the safety of Christian clergy and travelers across Benue South.
The incidents also revive concerns about the proliferation of forest-based kidnapping camps in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where rural communities face persistent threats from armed groups.
A report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) linked armed Fulani militias to nearly 24,000 civilian deaths during a four-year reporting period, underscoring the scale of violence attributed to these groups.
Why It Matters to Washington
Benue’s worsening security situation has implications beyond Nigeria’s domestic security. The Middle Belt is a major flashpoint in international discussions about religious freedom, targeted violence against Christian communities, mass displacement and counterterrorism.
The alleged existence of organized forest detention camps, the use of sophisticated weapons and ransom-based financing also raise concerns about the operational capacity of armed groups.
For Washington, the crisis reinforces the importance of monitoring religiously motivated violence, supporting accountable Nigerian security institutions, protecting vulnerable civilian populations and strengthening cooperation against kidnapping and armed extremist networks.
The immediate concern for seven families, however, remains the safe return of their loved ones.
Ekani Olikita is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
