The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, welcomed 20 medical students and seven additional victims who were freed from captivity in Benue State on Sunday.
The group had been abducted while traveling to a conference in Enugu State.
During the handover, the IGP revealed that the rescue operation also led to the death of the kidnap gang’s leader and the arrest of two accomplices.
He commended the efforts of the National Security Adviser, security agencies, and local vigilante groups, emphasizing that no ransom was paid for the victims’ release.
The rescued individuals were transported to Abuja for medical care and subsequently handed over to the Universities of Maiduguri and Jos.
They had been taken from a forest area in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, where security forces, including the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, and military, conducted the operation.
Reports indicate that the kidnappers had previously refused a N20 million ransom offered by the Catholic community in Nigeria.
The rescued students, including those from the University of Maiduguri and University of Jos, were abducted last Thursday and were successfully freed on April 23, 2024.
