From: Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Benue State Police Command has rescued two kidnapped victims from of their abductors.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Bashir Makama, while addressing newsmen in his office, on Thursday, disclosed that one of the victims, Chief Vincent Agu, a business man in Katsina-Ala town in Benue State, was abducted alongside his son, on June 6, 2017.
Makama noted that Agu’s son was released, same day, with a mandate to source for money to pay as ransom for the release of his father.
Immediately after the release of the boy the police swung into action leading to the rescue Agu, nine days after his abduction. While Agu was said to have been rescued unhurt, it was also gathered that no ransom was paid for his release.
Daily Sun gathered that the abductors had initially demanded for a ransom of N20 million and later reduced it to N10 million following several appeals by the victim’s family.
It was further gathered that the abductors refused to collect the sum of N5 million that was raised by the victim’s family, insisting that the N10 million must be complete before Agu would be released.
However, the Police boss said while trying to release the victim, some of the kidnappers and a policeman were injured during gun duel.
Seven of the suspected kidnappers including three women cooks were arrested.
The victim, who spoke to our correspondent at the Police headquarters, in Makurdi, disclosed that at a point, his abductors threatened to kill him and even asked him to say his last prayers and he did in a dangerous way.
“They asked me to say my last prayer because they were going to kill me and I said a very dangerous prayer which they didn’t like at all. I thought I was going to die but suddenly, the police came and rescued me nine days after I was kidnapped.”
Narrating how he was kidnapped, Agu said he was at home at about 6:oop.m that fateful evening when his son told him that he wanted to go to the dry cleaner’s shop and he allowed told him with a warning that he should be careful.
“At about 7:00p.m, we heard his car horns at the gate and one of my children went to open the gate for him only for the kidnappers who must have either trailed him or been hanging by the gate, to jump inside and forcefully demanded to see me.”
“As soon as they sighted me, one of them called my name and said they had come for me. They now bundled both my son and I into my station wagon car and drove away. For those harrowing nine days, I didn’t know that they released my son. I thought he was still with them.”
Meanwhile, Makama also disclosed that another girl, who was also kidnapped was rescued after a ransom of N200,000 was paid by her father adding that investigation was still ongoing on the matter.