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Some individuals who were kidnapped while traveling along the Evwreni axis of the East-West road, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, actually secured their freedom by paying ransoms to their abductors.
It was reliably gathered that one of the victims paid a whopping N8 million, while the least amount paid was N200,000 by others before they could secure their release.
This contradicts the report circulating that members of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) secured their release from the abductors unharmed and without any ransom paid.
Recall that nine individuals between the ages of 18 and 28 years, on board a Toyota Sienna car with Lagos Registration Number KRD-679 HU, were abducted on Good Friday in that area.
Our correspondent gathered that one of the kidnapped male victims was an officer enlisted with the Nigerian Navy attached to JTF, while another was a serving female member of the National Youth Corps Service (NYSC) in Cross Rivers State.
A reliable security source from the Delta State Police Command confirmed their release after the families of the victims had paid an undisclosed amount of money in cash as ransoms.
“The kidnapped victims regained their freedom after their families paid an undisclosed amount of money as ransom to their abductors,” the security source insisted.
“Only four of the victims voluntarily gave their statements to the police, while one of the victims, who claimed to be a Naval officer attached to JTF Bayelsa State, and five others refused to give their statements,” the source added.
One of the victims, who recounted his experience in the captivity of the kidnappers in a hushed voice to journalists, said they were on their way from Calabar on Good Friday, March 29, when they were ambushed and taken into the woods.
Identifying himself simply as Uwem, he said, “We were coming from Calabar, Cross River State, on Easter Good Friday and before we could get to Ughelli at about 8:00 p.m, we saw five young men emerge from the bush, blocking our vehicle and shooting sporadically.
“They ordered us out of the vehicle and led us into the forest; they took all our mobile phones and transferred money from our various accounts to a POS account before contacting our families.
“Our kidnappers told us that we were not their targets; instead, they were waiting for a coaster bus coming from Port Harcourt in Rivers State before our vehicle ran into them.
“It was after our families paid the ransom that we were released on Easter Monday, and a Keke rider helped us from the roadside to Ughelli Police Station, where some of us were asked to give statements.”
Corroborating Uwem’s account, a parent whose daughter was among the kidnapped victims also disclosed that they paid ransom to secure the release of their daughter, saying, “to the glory of God, my daughter is hale and healthy.
“The kidnappers instructed me to meet with a woman who had been at Otovwodo-Ughelli since 6:00 a.m., whose child was among those kidnapped, to collect a ransom from her and add it to my own, and I responded by saying ‘no.”
