Bandits demand N15m ransom for 5 abducted Ondo corps members
Abductors of five corps members in lfon town, Ose council area of Ondo state, have threatened to kill them if their families failed to pay N15 million ransom.
Recall that the corps members were reportedly abducted last weekend along the Ifon-Owo highway in the Ose Local Council Area of the state.
During the attack, two other persons, the driver of the vehicle as well as a female passenger were killed when gunmen opened fire on their commercial vehicle.
The corps members were on their way from Enugu State, where they had undergone the mandatory orientation camp of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
No fewer than 15 suspected kidnappers attacked the commercial vehicle.
The gunmen made the threat after contacting one of the families of the victims at the weekend.
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A brother of one of the victims, Lawal Happiness, said that the kidnappers, had reduced the ransom to N3 million from N30 million per victim.
Lawal added that “they have suddenly demanded that a N3 million ransom be paid for each of the victims.”
According to him: “My name is Lawal Happiness, a brother to the corps member kidnapped on her way back from Enugu Camp to Akure, whose name is Adewole Paul Oluwaseun, an indigene of Akure and a graduate of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).
“Alongside four other corps members Oluwadara Feranmi (f), Andrew Patience (f), Oribamise Taiwo (f), and Ajayi Lekan (m).
“After they were done with their NYSC orientation programme, they reported to their PPA accordingly in order to come home to get her stuff for proper resumption.
“They embarked on this journey on July 18, 2024, and left Enugu State at 9 a.m.
“We monitored her movement to Onitsha, where their bus was slightly delayed, and they later continued their journey to Akure.
“That was around 3pm on 18th July 2024. They left Onitsha around 3 p.m., got to Asaba around 5 p.m., and got to Ifon by 10:15 p.m. After that, we couldn’t get connected to them.
“On July 19, 2024, at 7:45 a.m., we got a call from the kidnapper telling us she had been kidnapped and asking for a ransom of N30 million per head.
“We have reported to different security agencies, but without any positive results.
“As of 7:00 p.m. on July 19, they reduced it to N3 million per head, and we have been pleading for help.
“At 3:00 p.m. on July 20, 2024, the kidnapper agreed to N1 million per head, but as of 1 p.m. on July 21, 2024, they said N3 million again.
“If we don’t provide that before 9 p.m. on July 21, 2024, they will call us to inform us where we will see their corpses.”
Contacted, the state police command spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, couldn’t be reached for comments.
- Vanguard