adminBenue Police Arrest University Lecturer Over Alleged Kidnapping Plot
The Benue State Police Command has apprehended Dr. Ichor Tersagh Smart, a lecturer at the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University of Agriculture (JOSTUM), Makurdi, in connection with the abduction of Mrs. Susan Anyagh, the wife of his colleague, Paul Anyagh, who chairs the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) JOSTUM chapter.
The kidnapping took place last Saturday, December 7, 2024, along Otukpo Road in Makurdi, when Mrs. Anyagh was ambushed and taken hostage by a group of armed men. According to a statement released by the police on Friday, December 13, 2024, the victim was later found along Yandev-Ugbema Road and quickly transported to the Primary Healthcare Clinic in Ameladu for medical attention.
Police spokesperson SP Anene Sewuese Catherine confirmed that after regaining consciousness, Mrs. Anyagh recalled a disturbing encounter during her abduction. As she was taken in the vehicle, she noticed Dr. Smart, a fellow academic, standing nearby. Desperate for help, she called out to him, but he reportedly turned away without offering assistance.
The situation escalated when her captors received a phone call from Dr. Smart, who allegedly ordered that she be killed. The assailants, in an apparent attempt to avoid detection, reversed the vehicle upon spotting a police checkpoint and took Mrs. Anyagh to a secluded spot. There, they demanded a ransom of 1.35 million Naira, which they took from her, before using a vehicle jack to strike her on the neck, leaving her unconscious. In a swift response to the crime, the Benue State Police Commissioner, CP Steve H. Yabanet, directed all patrol units and checkpoints to be mobilized for the victim’s rescue and the arrest of the kidnappers.
The police have since confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and have yet to clarify Dr. Smart’s alleged role in orchestrating the crime. Authorities are working to uncover the full details behind this disturbing incident, which has shocked the local academic community and raised concerns over the safety of residents in the region.
