Skip to main content

Sad! N50m Ransom Demanded By Kidnappers, For The Release Of Corps Members, 4 INEC officials Abducted In Kogi State


Abductors of six Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Officials, in Kogi State, have demanded for N50 million before they would release their kidnap victims.

Recall some INEC staff were abducted in Obajana in the early hours of Sunday, 19th March 2023 during the Kogi State House of Assembly election.

The victims were said to be returning from Kupa North and South under Lokoja Local Government Area in Kogi State when they were attacked by armed hoodlums.

The Police Public Relation Officer, (PPRO) in Kogi State SP William Ovye Aya had in a statement issued to journalists concerning the incident said 96 persons were rescued by the Police, three were injured while two victims were yet to be accounted for.

Addressing a press conference on Monday on behalf of the kidnapped victim’s family in Lokoja, an Assistant Presiding Officer II, (APO II) in the March 18th Kogi House of Assembly election identified as Babalola Oluwatobi Peter said his sister, who is among those kidnapped, was still held in captivity.

Peter faulted the claim from the Nigeria Police Force that all the kidnapped victims have been rescued, reports the vanguard.

He mentioned those still in the hands of the kidnappers as Muhammed Maimunat, and Abdulrahman Raji, who are two serving Corps members.

"INEC Ad-Hoc staff who are still in captivity according to Peter are Oyaniran Atinuke Ruth, Florence Shayo Ajayi, Opara Tina and Blessing.

Explaining how the ugly incident occurred on that day, Peter said “We were actually coming from Kupa North and South for the Kogi State House of Assembly election. I worked in the North, so we left the North some minutes past six and we got to the South at 8:03pm, we were asked to move to Lokoja by our SPO’s. I told them personally that we are not going, that they should allow us sleep, that by 4am the next day, we should pick up and go just like the way we did during the Presidential election.

"But the SPO South said he wants to move. As an APO two, I cannot just tell them that no. All other Corp members told them to let us sleep over but they insisted no. But when they insisted, we had no option but to move. When we got to Obajana, the armed robbers attacked us. We had six vehicles, and our vehicles happen to be the second one.

“The first vehicle was able to move while the second vehicle mistakenly hit the culvert and could not move again. But before we could know what was happening, the third vehicle hit us in the back. We have three Police Officers, only one was armed. When the armed robber attacked us, the armed Police officer instructed us to pull off our white and run for our dear lives. After everyone was running for their life, I discovered that I didn’t see my sister Oyaniran Atinuke Ruth.

“The incident happened between 1am-2am. Those people that were kidnapped were directly from our bus. We told the security agency including INEC that we are still looking for six people including my sister. They said we should not worry that we will find them. Up till now, nothing has been done. I was shocked when I read in some newspapers that the kidnapped victims have been rescued. Nothing of such. The kidnappers contacted us recently, demanding N50 million ransome.

"The kidnappers keep calling us with different numbers. You cannot call them, but they can only call you. They even told us to send them a recharge card which we did just because we don’t want them to hurt my sister and every other victim in their custody."

He, further, called on the Government and security to work towards the release of the abducted victims.

The husband of one of the kidnapped victims Olawafemi Olakanmi said he last spoke to his wife (Florence Shayo Ajayi) around 12am before the incident occurred. “I have not slept since my wife was kidnapped on 19th March 2023. I only call on God to set my wife free” he stated.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Professor Isah Odidi, 16 Others Appointed As Directors By The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council

  Professor Isa Odidi and His Excellency the Waziri Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar. The Peoples Democratic Party Appoints Directors And Deputy Directors To Kick-Start Campaign.                                 Professor Isah Odidi, has been appointed as Director, Diaspora Group by the Campaign Organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This appointment was contain in a Press Release on Thursday, October 06, 2022 issued by the Campaign Organisation’s Director-General and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal. Professor Isah Odidi, a distinguished pharmacist, an erudite scientist,  a technocrat and tireless researcher will indeed propagate the good virtues of the great party, the PDP and its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the Diaspora.  Professor Odidi, has always asserted that Atiku  Abubakar is a unifier and the best candidate to move the Nigerian nation forward, ushe...

You and Your Health - Alzheimer's breakthrough'

A study from Sweden which has found that a blood test can detect the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, reports the BBC, while expansiating on it's report that;                   Image Credit: Scientific American   The Times says it could have "huge implications" for routinely screening the over-50s for their risk of the disease. The test - the paper reports - can detect the "proteins" which can cause Alzheimer's which build up in the brain for 10 to 15 years before symptoms start to show, and allowed researchers to assess how "likely" someone was to develop the disease. According to the Daily Express, the brand new diagnostic tool has been praised by experts as it may "ultimately bring us closer towards a cure for dementia". The Daily Telegraph takes the view the "simple and cheap method" can measure how likely people are to develop the illness up to 15 years before they show symptoms, citing research from the study.

NLC To Embark On A Strike Action If....

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), national president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, during the African Trade Union Alliance meeting in Abuja. Has issued a threat to embark on a nationwide strike without any notification if the pump price of fuel sells above the current price of N617. Media reports indicated an imminent increase in the price to N720. The NNPC Limited has not made any official announcement of a fuel price increment According to Ajaero, there were purported plans to further increase the pump price of petrol, which he expressed dismay that the development will cause additional and untold hardship on Nigerians. He said: “As we are here now, they are contemplating increasing the pump price of petroleum products, and the ministry of labour for some time now would only go to the Ministry of Justice to come up with a so-called injunction to hold the hands of Labour not to respond. But let me say this, Nigerian workers will not give any notice if we have not addressed the consequences of...