• Zamfara terrorists release victims after taking N7m
Abductors of the Benue State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Ekpe Ogbu, have contacted his family and demanded a ransom of N5m.
A family source told our correspondent that the abductors contacted the commissioner’s family through his driver’s phone.
The commissioner, alongside his driver, aide and one other, was kidnapped on Sunday at Adankari village along the Otukpo/Ado Road.
Earlier, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, explained that the incident happened around 6.20pm on Sunday at a forest along Otukpo/Ado Road.
In a statement on Monday, Anene said police officers, who were on patrol sighted a vehicle parked by a forest area along Adankari village, Otukpo-Ado Road.
“Shortly after the vehicle was recovered, information was received that the Benue State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Ekpe Ogbu, who travelled to Utonkon for burial was travelling back with three other persons through the same route and was no longer reachable. Immediately, police teams were deployed in search of the victims.
“The Commissioner of Police, Benue State, CP Wale Abass, who visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment, has identified a new route linking the forest to the highway and emplaced adequate security on the road to forestall further occurrences.
“While interacting with Adankari community members, the CP requested them to volunteer information to the police to assist them in the ongoing operation,” the statement added.
In a related development, abductors of the traditional ruler of Oso Ajowa Akoko, in the Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Clement Jimoh, have asked his family to pay N10m for his release.
Oba Clement was abducted on Thursday at his residence by armed men who dragged him out of the palace and took him to an unknown destination.
Some hours after the abduction, the hoodlums contacted the family of the monarch, demanding N100m to secure his release.
The elder brothers of the victim, Samuel and Emmanuel, on Monday, said the bandits had contacted the family and reduced the ransom to N10m.
Samuel said, “The abductors threatened that if we refused to pay, they would eliminate him.”
Meanwhile, suspected terrorists who abducted four people in Kolo village in the Gusau LGA of Zamfara State and demanded the new naira notes as ransom have collected N7m and released the victims.
The abducted persons, who included three men and one woman, regained their freedom after the ransom was handed over to the terrorists.
Recall that the terrorists had earlier demanded N10m but after negotiation, they agreed to collect N5m.
However, as the people of the village were trying to source the money, the terrorists sent a message, saying they would not release the victims until after the change to the new naira notes.
Speaking to PUNCH Metro on Monday, an indigene of the area, Mohammed Ibrahim, said the terrorists rescinded their decision and asked the community to pay the sum of N3m with the current naira notes.
Ibrahim said, “Immediately the terrorists received the sum of N3m, they demanded additional N4m and threatened to continue holding the victims until the money was paid. We had to sell our farms to realise the amount to rescue our people because we had no other option.”
He said the victims were released two days after the money was paid.
