Victims regain freedom after payment of N31 million ransom to kidnappers
Three men who were reportedly kidnapped on Sunday at Longe village in Oyo State on the Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode road, have regained their freedom after they coughed up N31 million ransom.
The victims named — Emmanuel Olalere, Gbenga Idowu and Se- gun Afolabi —were released at about 8:00p.m. on Tuesday.
While Olalere was made to pay N20 million, Afolabi paid N10 million and Idowu, the oldest among the three men, paid N1 million.
Nigerian Tribune reports that the kidnappers insisted on collecting N20 million from Olalere after they saw the alert of the amount paid into his account on his phone. Olalere, a farmer in Ogun State, was said to have been sent the money from a pro- duce buyer who wanted him to help in the purchase of cocoa seeds.
Angry at the earlier claim of being a poor farmer, the kidnappers reportedly de- scended on him, beating him with logs from teak trees.
The three victims were said to have been tightly blind-folded, causing severe pains to their eyes, while they were kept without food and water for the two nights they spent with their abductors.
After their release, Nigerian Tribune learnt that Olalere and Idowu were taken home to be cared for by fam- ily members, while Afolabi was immediately taken to a hospital for medical treat- ment because of his physical condition.
Though it was learnt that the kidnappers tortured all the victims, Afolabi was worst hit, as the captors were angry he claimed to be a poor farmer.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that on the day of their abduction, the victims, who are Ibadan-born but based in Ogun State as farmers, were on their way to the Oyo State capital when seven armed men, led by one clad in black dress with a mask covering his face and muffler woven round his head and neck, emerged from the bush.
The leader, bearing AK-47 rifle, was said to have shot into the air to warn the driver and occupants that he and his gang meant business.
Two other members of the gang also had AK-47 rifles while others held cutlasses and daggers.
Though Olalere, who drove attempted to reverse the car, it was said that another gun- shot sounded at the back.
On looking backward, he reportedly saw the AK-47 riffle -bearing ones and others who had stationed themselves behind him, forcing him to stop to avoid being killed.
