Ondo Catholic Diocese confirmed the abduction of Rev. Fr. Joseph Ajayi on Tuesday evening, and the ransom demand of N20million
By Julius Alabi, Akure
A Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. Joseph Ajayi has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen on Monday on his way from Ikere Ekiti to Akure.
Already, his abductors have demanded N20 million ransom before he could be set free.
The Priest who is overseeing St. Peter Clavar, Ilara Mokin, in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State was kidnapped along the Akure-Ikere road in Ondo State.
The Catholic Diocese of Ondo had confirmed the abduction of Rev. Fr. Joseph Ajayi on Tuesday evening.
Rev. Fr. Victor Ibiyemi who confirmed the abduction, said he was kidnapped by some unknown gunmen.
It was further learnt that the incident happened while the priest was travelling in his Toyota Corolla car.
A source revealed that the cleric was travelling to Akure, the Ondo State capital from Ikere Ekiti in Ekiti State when the hoodlums struck and whisked him away.
Rev, Fr. Ibiyemi who is the Secretary to the Bishop of Ondo Catholic Diocese, Jude Arogundade said the abductors had contacted the church, demanding a sum of N20million ransom.
Kidnapping for ransom has become endemic in Ondo State after soldiers withdrew from manning checkpoints in the State.
A report in the Guardian of November 4 says the Nigerian Army withdrew its personnel from strategic places and checkpoints across the state, giving residents ominous signs of dangers ahead.
The says a military source attributed the withdrawal of personnel to a cold war between the Brigade Commander of 32 Artillery Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Yakubu Yerima and the Corp Commandant of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye.
He said that the rift between the officers had been on for some time now, adding that the army commander ordered that all military checkpoints be dismantled just as he directed the affected soldiers to return to the barracks.
A report in TheNiche of November discloses that shortly after the military’s withdrawal from strategic checkpoints in Ondo State, the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, announced that it intercepted 18 passengers heading to Ondo from the North with knives and guns hidden inside their luggage.
The seizure came a few days after military checkpoints in the state were deserted by soldiers because their allowances were not being paid by the state government, the report indicated.
According to Sahara Reporters, Amotekun operatives took over the checkpoints left by the military, and in the process, found a bus loaded with 500 pieces of daggers concealed under seats and in the luggage of 18 passengers.
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