The family of a newly called-to-the-bar lawyer, Peace Onyesom, and her sister, Gift Onyesom, who were abducted along the Okene Auchi Road on Friday, has revealed that the kidnappers are demanding ₦40 million ransom for their release.
This comes as the family appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the safe return of the victims.
Peace, who had just participated in the Nigerian Law School’s Call to Bar ceremony on September 23, was returning to Benin City with her sister when they were kidnapped.
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Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, another sibling of the victims, Adaeze Onyesom, disclosed that the family’s ordeal began when one of their calls to Gift was answered by a man claiming to be a police officer.
“About an hour after our youngest sibling called her, someone else picked up the phone and said he was a policeman. He told us that our sisters had been kidnapped and that the phone was found in the bus while they were chasing after the kidnappers,” Adaeze said.
She added that the kidnappers initially demanded ₦100 million but later reduced it to ₦20 million per person, insisting on a total of ₦40 million. The family, however, could only raise ₦7 million, which the abductors rejected.
“They called us this morning (Sunday) and allowed us to speak with our sisters, who were pleading that we should raise the money,” Adaeze added, noting that the family has resorted to selling property in desperation.
Meanwhile, the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, announced via his X handle on Sunday that eight of the abducted passengers had been rescued.
“Of the 12 persons kidnapped on Friday, September 26, 2025, along the Okene–Auchi Road, eight have been rescued by the police in conjunction with the military. Concerted efforts are in top gear to ensure the safe rescue of the remaining four victims,” Hundeyin wrote.
However, Adaeze disputed this claim, insisting that the manifest of the bus showed only eight passengers, not 12. She further alleged that a police source in Okene had told the family that no rescue had taken place.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has since condemned the abduction in strong terms. In a statement signed by its President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, the NBA described the incident as “unacceptable and utterly condemnable.”
“It is heartbreaking that at a time when our nation should be celebrating the future of the legal profession, young lawyers and their families are subjected to such harrowing ordeals. The NBA strongly calls on the Federal Government and all relevant security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police, to act with urgency and ensure the immediate and safe release of our colleague and all others in captivity,” the statement read.
The association also urged the government to prioritize highway security and restore public confidence in its ability to safeguard citizens.
“We further demand intensified and sustained action to secure our highways and restore public confidence in the government’s ability to guarantee the safety of all who travel across the country,” Osigwe added.
This incident adds to the long list of abductions along major Nigerian highways. In February, Rofiat Lawal, a National Youth Service Corps member, was abducted on the Benin–Ore Expressway and later released after her family reportedly paid ₦1 million ransom. Similarly, on September 9, three passengers of an 18-seater bus were abducted by gunmen at Aku village along the Okene–Lokoja Expressway.