Kogi State Police Command has confirmed that 12 passengers travelling from Abuja in a Toyota Hiace commuter bus, belonging to Big Joe Ventures Ltd, with registration number Edo FUG 13 XY, were kidnapped on the Okene-Auchi Road.
The abductors are, however, demanding a ransom of N20 million for the release of a female lawyer who was one of the victims.
Confirming the incident, the police said the kidnappers abducted all the 12 passengers commuting from Abuja to Benin in Edo State.
“Subsequently, the DPO Okene Division, CSP Nasir Muhammad, immediately mobilised police personnel in conjunction with military and vigilantes in pursuit of the kidnappers.
“In the process, eight victims, including the driver, were rescued while efforts are still underway to rescue the remaining 4 victims and to make a possible arrest of the perpetrators,” he said.
However, Barrister Onyesom Peace Udoka, who was recently called to the Nigerian bar in Abuja, was also one of the 12 persons kidnapped alongside her sister while returning home from her Call to Bar ceremony.
According to the report, the incident happened in Kogi State, on Friday, September 27, 2025, just days after she was called to the bar in Abuja.
It was gathered that the kidnappers are already demanding N20 million as ransom for her release.
