Police say Benue doctor was arrested, not abducted

A Makurdi hospital director first feared to have been abducted has been found in police custody, according to reports from Benue State.

Dr Jonah Ogbaji, the Medical Director of Multicare Hospital in Makurdi, was reportedly taken from the hospital premises at Ankpa Quarters while attending to patients on Wednesday night. Family members raised the alarm after he was taken away in a Toyota Sienna vehicle.

The family reportedly visited several police stations in Makurdi while trying to confirm his whereabouts. They later learned that he was in custody at the B Division Police Station in the state capital.

The Benue police spokesperson, Udeme Edet, said the doctor was not abducted but arrested. The reports did not give full details of the allegation behind the arrest.

The distinction matters because the first account suggested a possible abduction from a medical facility. The police position changes the immediate public-safety reading of the case, but it also leaves questions about why relatives and colleagues were initially unable to trace him through police channels.

Sources: Daily Trust, Daily Post