In the quiet Utonkon community of Benue State, nine young faces lit up with smiles on Saturday after a harrowing midnight kidnap from their church prayer session turned into a tale of swift rescue and renewed hope.
The children—six girls and three boys from Saint John Catholic Church in Ojije—had been praying peacefully when armed abductors struck.
Their safe return, credited to a rapid operation by security forces and local vigilantes, prompted emotional scenes of hugs and tears among families who had feared the worst.
A statement by the Technical Adviser to the Benue State Governor Solomon Iorpev said Governor Hyacinth Alia received word of the rescue “in high spirits”.
The Benue State Governor praised the “effective collaboration” that brought the children home unharmed, now receiving care and counselling.
“Security is the foundation of development,” Governor Alia said, vowing to bolster ties with federal agencies, community leaders and vigilantes to make Benue “a land of peace, justice and coexistence”.
Iorpev said that Governor had acted decisively just days earlier, convening an urgent security summit at the Och’Idoma’s palace in Otukpo.
“Through a delegation led by his deputy, Sam Ode, he issued “marching orders” for their immediate release—a move that paid off spectacularly,” the statement noted.
Residents, still shaken, were urged to stay vigilant and report suspicions.
As one relieved parent told journalists: “We prayed without ceasing. Now we can sleep again.” For these children and their community, the nightmare is over—but the fight against kidnapping presses on.
