The Benue State Police Command has arrested Dr. Ichor Tersagh Smart, a lecturer at Joseph Sawuaan Tarka University Makurdi (JOSTUM), in connection with the alleged abduction of Susan Anyagh, the wife of the university’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chairman.
Catherine Anene, the Police Public Relations Officer for the state, announced the arrest in a statement to the press on Friday in Makurdi.
Anene revealed that at approximately 9 am on December 7, 2024, police were informed at their headquarters in Makurdi that Susan Anyagh had been kidnapped along Otukpo Road and taken hostage in her vehicle, which was being driven to an unknown location.
Following the report, Police Commissioner Steve Yabanet immediately instructed all patrol officers at checkpoints to work towards rescuing the kidnapped woman and apprehending her captors.
Later, around 1 pm, police received further information indicating that the victim had been assaulted by her abductors and left unconscious by the roadside along Yandev-Ugbema Road.
The police spokesperson stated that the victim was identified and rushed to the Primary Healthcare Clinic at Ameladu for treatment.
After regaining consciousness, Susan recounted that while driving from the NNPC Mega station to Kanshio to collect money from a customer, she was flagged down on Otukpo Road by individuals who appeared to be in distress. She stopped to assist them, only for the assailants to seize the opportunity and jump into her car, brandishing a gun and commanding her to drive towards Wurukum.
Further detailing the ordeal, Susan described how, during the incident, she spotted Dr. Ichor Tersagh Smart, her husband’s colleague, standing by her car. In desperation, she called out to him for help, but he reportedly ignored her and walked away.
Feeling alarmed as she was driven to an unknown destination, Susan recalled hearing her abductors receive a call from Ichor, during which he allegedly instructed them to kill her.
Upon approaching a police checkpoint, her captors opted to turn back to a concealed area where they parked the vehicle. They forcibly removed her, took the N1,350,000 she had in the car, and, after retrieving a jack from the boot, struck her on the back of the neck, causing her to collapse.
The PPRO confirmed that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the case, and investigations are ongoing, with more details to be released as necessary actions are taken.
The state CP urged all parties involved to remain law-abiding and patient with the police, assuring them that a thorough investigation would be conducted to uncover the facts surrounding the case.