Six months after the abduction of a student of the University of Uyo, the father of the victim, Aniefiok Asian, has raised fresh alarm over his continued disappearance, accusing security agencies of failing to secure his rescue despite the payment of ransom and several reports made to authorities.
Utibe, a 300-level student of the Department of Theatre Arts, was reportedly abducted on December 3, 2025, after receiving a phone call from an unidentified number, 09066935255, and leaving home to meet the caller at an undisclosed location in Uyo.
His father, Pastor Asian, told newsmen on Tuesday that the family had not heard from the student since the incident, heightening fears over his safety and whereabouts.
According to him, the suspected abductors initially demanded N30m ransom but later reduced the demand to N500,000, which the family paid on December 13, 2025, in desperate hope of securing the student’s release.
The payment, he said, was transferred to a Moniepoint PoS account number 5631337489 bearing the name “Uzor Onuoha Enterprise Bank.”
Speaking on the ordeal, the distraught father said the kidnappers instructed him to proceed to Abak to pick up his son after the payment was made, but the student was never released.
He said, “On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, my son, Mr Utibe Aniefiok Asian, was abducted by unknown persons within Uyo metropolis. Since then, we received calls from a suspected abductor using the number 09066935255, and sometimes my son’s phone number, 09010911529, was also used to contact us.
“The first demand was N30 million, but it was later reduced to N500,000, which we paid through a transfer to the Moniepoint account provided by the abductors.
“After the payment, I was directed to go to Abak and pick up my child, but since that day, the abductors stopped calling, and we have neither seen nor heard from my son again.”
Pastor Asian disclosed that the case was reported to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command on December 5, 2025, where his statement was reportedly obtained by an officer identified as Mrs Jumbo while an investigating police officer was assigned to the matter.
He added that petitions had also been submitted to the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Internal Security, Major General Uko Essien (retd.); the Department of State Services; and the Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, under the title “Report of Suspected Kidnapping in Uyo.”
Despite what he described as “valuable clues” supplied to security agencies, the family said no breakthrough had been recorded.
The cleric appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to personally intervene and deploy a special rescue team to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction and ensure his son’s safe return.
“I still believe the security agencies can do their work. I want the IGP to intervene and ensure my son is rescued. At the very least, those behind this crime should be identified and brought to justice,” he pleaded.
When contacted, the Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Baba Mohammed Azare, said the command had yet to receive an official report on the incident through its designated channels.
“I have advised the father of the victim to report the matter through our official channels. Once that is done, we will immediately commence necessary action,” the CP said.
