Abducted Benue LG Chairman Shares Ordeal: Fed with Pawpaw and Garri in Captivity

• Recently freed Benue LG Chairman, Amina Audu, reveals details of her three-day abduction, describing a diet of pawpaw and garri
• Audu recounts the harrowing experience and challenges of being held by kidnappers on the Naka-Makurdi road

Amina Audu, the recently freed chairman of Okpokwu Local Government Area in Benue State, revealed the distressing details of her abduction, stating that she and her driver were sustained on a diet of pawpaw and garri during their three-day captivity.

Audu, who had been under suspension since the arrival of Governor Hyacinth Alia, was abducted alongside her driver on the deteriorated Naka-Makurdi road. She and her counterparts from 22 other local government areas had faced suspension.

Speaking to journalists in Makurdi, the state capital, Audu recounted the challenges of being held by kidnappers. She expressed the difficulty of the situation, noting, “You know how harrowing it is to be with kidnappers; I cannot even say much now. They (kidnappers) don’t have food in the bush; they only gave us pawpaw and garri to drink.”

Audu emphasized that the exact ransom amount paid for their release had not been disclosed to her by those involved in the negotiation process.

Earlier confirmation of the abduction came from SP Catherine Anene, the Police Spokeswoman for the Benue Command, adding to the growing concern over the security situation in certain regions. The incident highlights the challenges faced by individuals, including public officials, navigating insecure routes.

‘We do not owe Operation Crush soldiers’ —Abia Govt

The Abia State government has denied a report on social media that claimed that it owes Nigerian soldiers attached to its multi-agency security task force, Operation Crush.

In a statement signed by Kazie Uko, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alex Otti, the Abia State government dismissed the report as misleading and a total falsehood.

The Abia government, which said that it was up-to-date in meeting its obligations to the anti-crime task force, explained that the prompt payment to soldiers had been instrumental in dealing with incidents of violent crimes and dislodging kidnapping rings, especially around the Umunneochi-Uturu-Okigwe axis of the Enugu-Umuahia-Aba-Port Harcourt expressway.

The Otti-led administration blamed the social media report on “enemies of the state who lost their hold on political power,” and appealed to the general public to disregard the report that it owed the soldiers.