Kidnappers Demand N30m Ransom For Abducted Kwara Women

Kidnappers have demanded a N30 million ransom money for two women kidnapped in Igbaja, Ifelodun Local Government Area, Kwara State.

According to LIB, gunmen seized three women in the early hours of Sunday, September 29, 2024, but one managed to escape.

The kidnappers also summoned a vigilante leader, the Jagun of Igbaja land, Chief Lukman Balogun, who led his troops into the nearby woodland in search of the kidnapped victims.

The k!lling of the prominent chief sparked a protest by community residents.

The Chairman of Ifelodun LG, Femi Yusuf, confirmed the situation to Punch on Thursday, saying that the kidnappers had contacted the relatives of the two women and demanded N30 million before they could be released.

Yusuf stated that attempts are being made to search the jungle for the women and their abductors, and that both the state and local governments are working to free the two people.

“The information I received from the families of the victims is that the kidnappers are demanding payment of N30 million before they could be released,” he said.

“Right now, soldiers, police, and the local vigilante in the local government are in the forest searching for the two people and probably the kidnappers.”

Yusuf lamented the loss of Chief Lukman Balogun, stating that the vigilante commander’s death had inflicted a significant blow to the community.

“We are still mourning the late Jagun who is my uncle in Igbaja, we will do all within our power in conjunction with the state government and security agencies in the state to smoke out the kidnappers who have been terrorizing our people,” he added.

Ejire-Adeyemi Toun, spokesperson for the State Police Command, verified the abduction of three ladies from the village on Sunday and the kidnapping of Balogun on Monday evening.

“One Mohamadu reported at Igbaja Police station that three women were kidnapped in the community on Sunday, September 29, 2024. There was a report that the vigilante went on a rescue operation and a prominent chief of the town was k!lled during the exchange of fire between the kidnappers and the vigilante. One of the abducted women was said to have escaped the remaining two victims that were yet to be rescued,” the PPRO stated.

“The youth however grouped and blocked the road that no vehicle should pass through the town because they said that the chief was a good man to them when he was alive.”

According to Ejire-Adeyemi, the youth have calmed down, and normalcy has returned to the region.

She stated that security personnel, including police, troops, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, have been dispatched to search the forest for the other victims and apprehend the kidnappers.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli