Insecurity
Gunmen Abducted NTA Staff, 10 Other Passengers In Benue
He had recently been relocated from the Makurdi Zonal Network Office to Abia State
Gunmen ambushed a Benue Links vehicle that was on its way from Onitsha, Anambra State to Makurdi, abducting eleven passengers, among them, an employee of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA).
This incident occurred on the Otukpo – Enugu expressway, specifically along the Olanyega/Ogbodo road in the Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, at approximately 2:30 pm on Sunday, September 17, 2023.
It was gathered that four other passengers were able to escape, with eleven held hostage at the moment.
The NTA staff in question, identified as Mr. Thomas Tikyaa, holds the position of an accountant. He had recently been relocated from the Makurdi Zonal Network Office to Abia State, and was coming to Benue to visit his family, when the incident occurred.
A letter of complaint, written by the Zonal Director, Pam Dung Nyam, to the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, appealed for quick intervention to rescue the victims.
“I wish to formally report the kidnapping of a Staff of NTA, who was recently redeployed from NTA Network Centre, Makurdi, to NTA, Abia State,” Nyam said.
“The ugly incident occurred around 10:00pm yesterday, 17 September 2023 between Ogbokolo and Otukpa on his way to Makurdi to visit his family while onboard Benue Links Bus,”
Mr Nyam noted that the NTA family will be happy if the victim is rescued and safely returned to his family.
A staff of NTA who did not want to be mentioned told newsmen that the kidnappers had contacted Tikyaa’s family and demanded N50m ransom, which was later reduced to N10m.
The spokesperson for the State Police Command, SP Sewuese Anene, has confirmed the kidnapping incident.
She stated that an ongoing investigation is being conducted to identify and apprehend the individuals responsible for this crime.
However, she did not disclose the exact number of victims present in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
