Six months after the abduction of a University of Uyo student, the family of the victim has expressed concern over his continued disappearance despite paying a ransom demanded by the kidnappers.
The missing student, identified as Utibe Asian, is a 300-level student in the Department of Theatre Arts at the university.
His father, Pastor Aniefiok Asian, told journalists that the undergraduate was abducted on December 3, 2025, after receiving a phone call from an unknown number and leaving home to meet the caller at an undisclosed location in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
According to the cleric, the family has neither seen nor heard from the student since the incident, raising fears over his safety.
Pastor Asian disclosed that the abductors initially demanded N30m for his son’s release before later reducing the ransom to N500,000.
He said the family paid the amount on December 13, 2025, in the hope of securing the student’s freedom.
The distraught father explained that the money was transferred into a Moniepoint PoS account allegedly provided by the kidnappers.
He added that after the payment was made, the abductors instructed him to travel to Abak to pick up his son, but the student was never released.
“Since that day, we have not heard from them again, and my son has not returned home,” he lamented.
Pastor Asian stated that the matter was reported to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command two days after the abduction.
He said petitions were also forwarded to several security agencies and government officials, including the Department of State Services and the state Commissioner for Internal Security.
According to him, the family supplied security operatives with useful information capable of aiding investigations, but no meaningful breakthrough has been recorded.
The cleric appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to intervene in the matter and ensure that a special team is deployed to rescue his son and bring those responsible to justice.
“I still believe security agencies can help us. I appeal to the Inspector-General of Police to personally intervene so that my son can be rescued,” he said.
When contacted, the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Baba Mohammed Azare, said the command had not received an official report through its designated channels.
The police commissioner advised the family to formally report the matter to enable the command commence necessary action.