– Officers of Nigeria Customs Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), a retiree and a female student kidnapped in Ondo have been released
– The victims, who were kidnapped by men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, were said to have paid a ransom of N2.2 million before regaining their freedom
– Ondo state police command confirmed the incident, adding that the culprits would be nabbed soon
A ransom of N2.2 million has been paid by the families of kidnapped victims to their abductors on Saturday, December 1, 2018.
In a report available in The Punch, the victims, officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), a retiree and a female student, were kidnapped in Akunnu Akoko north local government area of Ondo state during a journey from Lagos
TrackNews gathers that the kidnappers, who were suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, stopped the car of their victims, a Sienna SUV, on Tuesday, November 27, and forced them into a forest where they were threatened with cutlass and gun.
It was gathered that the kidnappers demanded N5 million from the families of their victims, but were paid 2.2 million leading to the abductees’ release on Sunday, December 2.
Recounting the experience in the dens of their kidnappers, one of the victims, Obisanya, said the kidnappers were up to 11, adding that they were threatened to be killed if their ransom was not paid.
He said: “When we got to Akunnu, Ondo state, there were potholes on the road and the driver had to slow down. It was at that point that the herdsmen came out of the bush. They were 11 in number and were heavily armed.
“Two of them had cutlasses, while the others had guns. They blocked our vehicle from the front and the back and began shooting into the air.
“They led us into the bush. We were six in number, including a lady, who should be about 24 years old.
“We walked in the bush for over four hours, after which they asked us to wait. They said they were not armed robbers, but kidnappers and that each of our families must pay N5m. They said if our families did not pay, they would slaughter us.”
Obisanya also added that their abductors feed them with tuber yams stolen from nearby farms. He said they were Fulani herdsmen because of their languages.
Another victim, Temilade, was traumatised by the incident. His uncle, who did not want his identity revealed, said he received his sister’s message soliciting money for her release.
He said: “They left the park at 9am and the incident happened around noon; it was in broad daylight. We initially thought the telephone number the kidnappers were using to negotiate with us belonged to them, not knowing that they converted two of the victims’ lines to their operational lines.
“They released them after getting a total of N2.2m. My niece was the only female in the group, which consisted of a customs officer and an NDLEA officer.”
Confirming the incident, the police public relations officer in the state, Femi Joseph, said the victims have been released, and necessary step is being taken to arrest the kidnappers.
Meanwhile, TrackNews previously reported that a female kidnap suspect, Fatima Muhammed, while being paraded by the police on Monday, September 24, said she had no regret kidnapping the four-year-old son of Bukar Dalori, the Borno chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Fatima spoke on Monday when she was paraded shortly after her arrest in Maiduguri.
