Family Raises Alarm Six Months After UNIUYO Student’s Abduction Despite Ransom Payment

Six months after a 300-level student of the University of Uyo was abducted, his family has raised fresh alarm over his continued disappearance, saying they have heard nothing from him despite paying a N500,000 ransom.

Utibe Aniefiok Asian, a Theatre Arts student, was reportedly kidnapped on December 3, 2025, after receiving a phone call from an unknown number and leaving his home to meet the caller at an undisclosed location within the Uyo metropolis.

His father, Pastor Aniefiok Asian, told journalists on Tuesday that the family has been thrown into anguish as all efforts to locate the missing student have failed.

According to the father, the abductors initially demanded N30 million but later reduced the amount to N500,000, which the family paid on December 13, 2025, through a bank transfer to a Moniepoint account provided by the kidnappers.

After the payment was made, he said the abductors instructed him to proceed to Abak, a neighbouring town, to pick up his son. However, upon getting there, the student was never released, and the kidnappers stopped all communication.

The distraught father revealed that the case was reported to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command just two days after the abduction. He also submitted petitions to the state Commissioner for Internal Security, the Department of State Services, and the state Commissioner of Police.

Despite providing what he described as valuable clues to security agencies, the family said no breakthrough has been recorded, and the whereabouts of the 300-level student remain unknown.

The father is now appealing to the Inspector-General of Police to personally intervene and deploy a special rescue team to ensure his son’s safe return.

When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, said the command had yet to receive an official report on the incident through its designated channels. He advised the father to report the matter properly, after which necessary action would be taken.