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ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerian police are searching for 20 medical students kidnapped by gunmen Thursday.
The students were on their way to attend a medical conference when their convoy was stopped in central Benue State.
The Benue State Police Force told VOA Monday that it has launched an investigation into the kidnapping of the medical students and has dispatched a tactical team to carry out a rescue mission.
But they said the teams have yet to report any success.
Twenty medical students from the universities of Jos and Maiduguri and an accompanying doctor were brought to the eastern part of Enugu State for the conference.
The Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, Anine Seuse Catherine, spoke to VOA over the phone.
“The investigation team has set out, but we haven’t heard from them yet,” said Catherine. “The investigation into the kidnapping is confidential and we won’t reveal the details unless the investigation is successful. There is no update yet.”
The kidnapping sparked widespread condemnation of security problems in Africa’s most populous country, where authorities have struggled for years to control violence by local armed gangs known as “bandits.”
Over the weekend, the national police ordered the deployment of helicopters, drones and specialized tactical teams to assist in the search for the medical students.
The Nigeria Medical Students Association said the kidnappers used the students’ mobile phones to demand about $31,400 for the release of all the students.
The association has been urging the authorities to ensure that the students are released unharmed.
The national president of the association, Moses Onwubuya, said the students threatened to protest if their colleague was not released soon.
“The only response we got was that we should calm down and that security agencies were handling the matter,” Onubuya said. “Someone called from the phone number of our kidnapped colleague. The students are anxious and we are just trying to see if we can follow the safety guidelines, but I can’t guarantee what will happen next.”
According to the West African Center for Democracy and Development, there were more than 4,000 kidnappings in Nigeria in 2023, accounting for 58% of the total number of kidnapping cases in West Africa, a five-year high.
Security analysts say Nigeria’s severe economic crisis has led more people to turn to crime and kidnapping for ransom.
Nigerian authorities have pledged to address economic problems and security challenges, while families of the victims hope for the safe return of their loved ones.
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