As information emerged that the law students recently kidnapped in Benue state on their way from Enugu to Taraba state-based Nigerian Law School campus paid heavy ransom to the kidnappers before they were freed and that there was no police involvement in their release, the Nigerian government has been asked to carry out investigation on possible collusion between armed security forces and kidnappers across the Country with a view to flushing out the saboteurs in the armed security forces aiding and abetting terrorism.

Whilst recalling that the Chief of Defence Staff General Chris Gwabin Musa had in the wake of the mass killings by terrorists in Benue state of Benue natives claimed that saboteurs within the military aided the attacks, the Civil Rights advocacy Group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) is demanding that the Commissioner of Police in Benue state be sanctioned should it be established that indeed the police played no role in freeing these kidnapped law school students just as the Rights group said issuing out inaccurate or outrightly false information by the police claiming to have rescued the kidnapped law students is a great disservice to the Country and has damaged the integrity of the police.

HURIWA cited a media report which stated that a Nigerian Law School student, David Obiora, who was abducted on his way to Yola Campus, has narrated a harrowing account of beatings, starvation, and community-aided captivity.

Obiora also debunked the Nigerian police claims that the operatives rescued him and five other students from kidnappers in Benue State.

In an exclusive interview with a medium recently, Obiora, who hails from Anambra State, said he and others were kidnapped on July 20 along Zakibiam-Mukari Expressway after boarding an Al Dampulo Company Transport Limited vehicle from Onitsha en route to Yola.

“The road was blocked with sticks and tables. The driver tried to escape by turning, but the vehicle got stuck inside the bush. That was how the kidnappers caught us,” Obiora said.

HURIWA therefore stated that government must never tolerate deception and falsehood should it be established as stated by the victim that police never rescued the hostages from their kidnappers and yet reportedly made extensive public claims that they rescued the kidnapped law students.

On the claim that there are saboteurs aiding and facilitating terrorism and kidnappings all over the country as many Nigerians have alleged and the most senior military officer in Nigeria had recently revealed, HURIWA is advocating a strong investigative panel to be set up by the Chief of Defence Staff or the National Security Adviser to the President with the mandate to ascertain the identities of the saboteurs within the armed forces who are sabotaging the war on terror and aiding the widespread kidnappings happening in Nigeria.

The Rights group recalled that recently the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, had alleged the presence of saboteurs within the Nigerian military, implicating them in the Yelwata massacre in Benue State that claimed over 200 lives.

Recall that in May 2025, during a television interview, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum declared: “We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian armed forces, within the politicians, and within the communities. What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and to deal with them ruthlessly.” He added: “Let’s remove contractocracy. In six months, we can put an end to this madness. We need not politicise insecurity.”

Speaking during a visit to Yelwata to assess the destruction caused by the recent spate of coordinated terror attacks, General. Musa disclosed that some military personnel have been betraying the army by leaking vital information to bandits.

“This is one killing too many. From here, I am going to see my commanders. We need to change our strategy, look inward, and see how we can address this. We can’t do it alone without the state; we need everybody to be part of it,” he said.

Musa further pointed out that the targeted nature of the killings and arson suggests insider involvement. “If you see the pattern of killings and slaughtering, it means there is an insider. As we were going round, it became obvious that the killing and burnings were targeted. I have discussed with the community and traditional rulers as well as clan heads for us to work in synergy. There have been issues of trust, but we are going to work on it,” he added.

HURIWA further stated that during the administration of the immediate past president, the then head of the Methodist Church in Nigeria who was kidnapped near Okigwe and only freed after his Church paid a ransom of N100 million cash, had informed Nigerians that soldiers actively participated in his ordeals just as he revealed that he was taken away by well armed kidnappers suspected to be armed Fulani terrorists just few meters away from a military checkpoint. HURIWA stated too that in Kaduna few months back a soldier was arrested conveying millions of Naira cash to kidnappers deep in the forests.

HURIWA lamemted that even when allegations mounted of involvement of armed security agents in terrorism and kidnappings, the Federal Government is yet to set up any sort of investigation panel to bring the perpetrators to justice. HURIWA is therefore praying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take bold and decisive steps to investigate these allegations and to ensure that there is general in-house cleaning up of the armed forces and police to eliminate saboteurs within the system.