Nigerian female footballer Ihotu John Rebecca, a defender for Pacesetter Queens FC in the NWFL Premiership, has been abducted along the Benin Expressway while traveling home after a league fixture . Her captors are demanding a ransom of N20 million for her release . The 33-year-old player was en route from Abuja to Makurdi in Benue State when the kidnapping occurred .
Her family has made an urgent appeal to football stakeholders, club executives, sponsors, government officials, and the general public to help facilitate her safe return, stressing that her life is in danger and time is critical . The Benin Expressway, surrounded by dense forest, has long been identified as a high-risk corridor for abductions .
Key Points
The abduction highlights the grave security risks faced by female athletes who must travel long distances by road due to underfunded women’s football.
The N20 million ransom demand places an impossible burden on the player’s family, who now appeal for public assistance.
The incident exposes the vulnerability of sports personalities traveling Nigeria’s dangerous highway corridors.
Pacesetter Queens FC head coach Akinwunmi Isogun confirmed the abduction and drew attention to the dangers confronting women footballers dependent on road transport .
The kidnapping adds to over 3,000 abductions recorded across southern Nigeria since 2020, according to local security trackers .
The abduction of Ihotu John Rebecca underscores the urgent need for enhanced security measures on Nigeria’s highways and greater protection for athletes who risk their lives traveling to represent their clubs and communities.
Sources: Daily Post, Punch Newspapers, The Eagle Online, THEWILL News
