A wave outrage has gripped the University of Jos community following the abduction of one of its students, John Arum, along the Jos–Kaduna Highway, with kidnappers reportedly sending a disturbing torture video to the victim’s class group.
Arum was said to have been kidnapped around April 7, while traveling to Kaduna, reportedly in the company of about six other passengers.
The victims were on their way for a keyboard repair job when they ran into armed bandits along the highway, a route long plagued by recurring cases of abduction and violent attacks.
In a chilling development, the kidnappers allegedly shared a video showing the victim being tortured, which was circulated among the students of the university.
The footage has since sparked panic and emotional distress within the academic community, with many calling for urgent intervention.
Initially, the abductors demanded a ransom of ₦30 million but have reportedly reduced the amount to ₦4 million following negotiations.
In response, a local community group, Afizere Youths Movement, has stepped in to support fundraising efforts by sharing bank details for donations to secure the student’s release.
The incident has ignited widespread anger on social media, particularly on X, with Nigerians questioning the country’s security response and the seeming inability to track kidnappers despite repeated attacks on major highways.
@Ojoazeezayinde said: “This is pathetic and heartbreaking to watch.
Was it travelling back home on the road his offense to have warranted this? Actually, I don’t know when that becomes a crime.
“Every day, we keep seeing videos like this, and the same question that keeps coming up is that: where are these guys?
“Their videos are always made on open fields. Are they untraceable or what’s the point of our digital security investment as a nation?”
@Peteradeleye said that “this is really heartbreaking, beating someone like this without no just cause, no offence.
“The only offence is that he’s a Nigerian and we have a bunch of useless and unfortunate rulers in power who are week and money drunk that they only care about themselves. May God deliver him.”
Read also:
- Police arrest suspect for alleged kidnapping, rape in Rivers
- Angry residents of 3 communities protest killings, kidnappings in Akure North
- Nigerian Army rescues 21 kidnap victims, destroys Bandits’ Camps in Plateau forest operation
@Goodboy_23 said: “This is terrifying and seriously disturbing. This is somewhere in Nigeria right, using his phone to record and send those videos, yet with all the technological advancement the location can’t b to traced? What is really going on Nigerians?”
@Funniky said: “Something is seriously wrong with this country’s security. How do bandits get away with dehumanizing victims in broad daylight, in an open field, and we still have no military drones or tracking devices to pinpoint exactly where that video was shot?”
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement as pressure mounts for urgent action to secure the student’s release and curb rising insecurity along the Jos–Kaduna corridor.
