The Nigerian Medical Association says students from the universities of Jos and Maiduguri were abducted while travelling in Benue state.
Nigerian police and security agencies are working to secure the release of 20 medical students who were kidnapped in the eastern part of the country, officials say.
The medical students were on their way to an annual convention when they were abducted in Benue state on Thursday night, police and university sources said on Saturday.
The Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students said in a statement that the students were travelling to the convention in the city of Enugu when they were abducted.
Fortune Olaye, secretary general of the Nigerian Medical Students Association, said 20 medical students from two universities, as well as a doctor travelling with them, had been abducted.
He added that a ransom had been demanded for his release.
In a letter from the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to the Inspector General of Police, posted on social media platform X, NMA Secretary General Benjamin Egbo said 12 of the abducted students were from the University of Jos and eight from the University of Maiduguri.
One of the students managed to share his location, indicating that they were in the Oglewu Ehaje area of Benue State, the letter said.
“The Nigerian Medical Association is deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of these future medical professionals,” he added, saying it was “crucial” to take swift and decisive action to ensure their return.
We will not rest until our beloved students have been rescued alive.@Fmohnigeria @NigEducation @PolicíaNG @OfficialDSSNG @NGRPresident
#FreeThe20MedStudents image.twitter.com/iYvWtdVneC
— Nigerian Medical Association (@nationalnma) August 17, 2024
The kidnapping was also confirmed by Catherine Anene, Police Public Relations Officer in Benue State.
Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue state, said in a statement that he had “ordered security agencies in the state to intensify efforts and ensure the safe release” of the students.
The national police said in a statement that it had ordered the deployment of “advanced helicopters and drones, as well as the use of specialized tactical vehicles to facilitate the search and ensure the safe return of the victims.”
The abducted students were reportedly travelling from the northern part of the country in a convoy of two buses when the incident occurred, Nigeria's This Day newspaper reported.
The students were abducted on the highway near the town of Otukpo, less than 150 kilometres from Enugu, where attacks and kidnappings often occur.
Kidnapping cases have increased significantly in Nigeria due to a severe economic crisis that is pushing more people into crime. However, official figures are unreliable as many cases go unreported.
A law was passed in 2022 banning payments to kidnappers, but many families say they feel they have no choice but to pay the ransoms demanded.
Nigerian consultancy SBM Intelligence said it had recorded 4,777 cases between May 2023, when Bola Tinubu took office as president, and January 2024.
