Ten individuals were reportedly kidnapped at the Taraba/Benue border community in Jootar, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State on Friday. According to a source, the incident occurred around noon when the driver of the vehicle, who managed to escape being kidnapped, narrated the attack.
The driver, who had picked up the passengers at Takum junction in Wukari, Taraba State, was en route to dropping them off in Gboko, where they planned to connect to Akure. However, the kidnapping took place just 2 km from Takum, in Jootar, Ukum LGA. The driver’s phone was taken during the incident, but he managed to use another person’s phone to report the situation to a known contact.
The driver promptly reported the case at the Jootar police station. While the lawmaker representing Ukum State Constituency, Ezra Nyiyongo, confirmed receiving a report of the incident, details remain unclear. According to Nyiyongo, the driver claimed to have picked up the passengers from Wukari, Taraba State, with the intention of traveling to Gboko, then onwards to Akure for menial jobs.
However, conflicting reports emerged as the Chairman of the Ukum LGA, Victor Iorzaa, stated that neither the Divisional Police Officer nor the Chief Security Officer of the local government had received the report. Similarly, the state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, stated that the command was not aware of the incident at the time.