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A dark cloud of grief and terror has enveloped a family in Benue State after Tartenger Terdue James, a young man preparing for his traditional marriage this Saturday, was abducted on Tuesday evening while traveling to Cross River State to purchase palm oil for the ceremony.
According to distraught relatives, the groom-to-be was seized by gunmen along the route. The kidnappers immediately made contact, issuing a chilling demand of three million naira and threatening to kill him and dump his body by the roadside if the ransom is not paid promptly.
“This is deeply heartbreaking,” a family member told Benue Info-pedia in a voice breaking with emotion. “He was so excited about the wedding. He left home happily to run this simple errand for his bride, and now we don’t know if we will ever see him alive again.”
The victim’s photograph, along with the beautifully designed wedding invitation bearing the names “John Iorndir Pevikyaa of Mbakyaa Mbatem Gwer East LGA & Late Timothy Tartenger Ukor of Mbakaku Mbakyaa Ushongo LGA,” has been circulating widely on social media, a painful reminder of the joy that has suddenly turned into nightmare just days before the celebration.
As of this morning, the family says they have only been able to raise a fraction of the demanded sum and are making a desperate public plea for assistance, prayers, and any information that could lead to Tartenger’s safe release.
Kidnappings for ransom have become a terrifying reality across many parts of Nigeria, but when the victim is a young man on the cusp of starting his married life, the cruelty feels especially unbearable.
The entire Benue community and beyond is rallying in prayer, sharing the news, and urging authorities to intensify efforts to rescue Tartenger Terdue James before it is too late.
We stand with the family in this agonizing moment and pray for his safe return so that this wedding invitation does not become a memorial card.
Anyone with useful information is urged to contact the nearest police station or reach out to the family privately.
May he come home alive.
