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The abductors of nine worshipers at St John’s Catholic Church, Ojije in Utonkon, Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, have demanded a ransom of N100m.
The victims, comprising women and youths, were holding a vigil at the church when they were abducted around 2 a.m. on Sunday.
According to a family member of one of the victims, who spoke anonymously, the abductors first made contact with the families on Wednesday and demanded the sum of N100m.
The source added that during negotiations in the early hours of Thursday, the kidnappers reduced the ransom to N30m.
“This is the situation we found ourselves in now. It was only yesterday (Wednesday) that they contacted us and demanded N100m,” the source disclosed, saying, “After negotiation, they reduced the ransom to N30m, which is what we are now working hard to raise.
We are seeking assistance from friends, relatives, and the wider public. We are also appealing to public-spirited individuals, corporate organisations, and civil society groups to come to the aid of the abductees.”
The source further said, “Security agencies have been deployed to the area, but they have yet to apprehend the kidnappers and rescue our people. We are calling on the government to deploy more personnel to comb the forest and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Efforts to a reaction from the Benue State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful as her phone rang unanswered.
The chairman of Ado Local Government, Sunday Oche, declined to comment on the ransom but assured our correspondent that security personnel were working towards the safe rescue of the victims.
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