Nigeria Four Kidnapped Defence Ministry Directors Freed, Two Still Missing

The Digest:

Four senior directors from the Federal Ministry of Defence have been freed after 19 days in captivity, though two colleagues remain missing. The officials were travelling from Lagos to Abuja for promotion examinations when terrorists ambushed them along the Kabba-Lokoja highway, initially demanding N150 million ransom for all six captives.

Key Points:

• Four Defence Ministry directors released after the November 10 abduction
• Freed officials: Helen Ezeakor, C.A. Ladoye, Ngozi Ibeziakor, Essien Catherine
• Two directors, C.A. Emeribe and J.A. Onwuzurike, remain in captivity
• Victims were en route to promotion exams when ambushed on the Kabba-Lokoja highway
• Kidnappers initially demanded N150 million ransom for all six officials
• Association of Senior Civil Servants confirms freed officials receiving medical care
• Union calls for decentralized exams to avoid dangerous long-distance travel

When the journey to professional advancement becomes a passage through terror, the true test of security lies not in negotiated freedoms but in ensuring ordinary travel doesn't become an extraordinary risk.

Sources: Premium Times, PM news