Gunmen have reportedly threatened to kill some of the eight indigenes of Imoga, Edo State, who were kidnapped at the Star Boy Hotel, located on Ibillo Road on January 9.
The Coordinator, ‘Movement for the Advancement of Akoko Edo People’, Bode Ekundayo, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, noted that the kidnappers made the threat to show the community and families of the victims that they “meant business”.
He said the kidnappers started by demanding ₦100m as ransom, later reduced it to ₦80m, and then down to ₦40m, which was difficult for community members and families to raise.
Ekundayo said the traditional ruler of the community, Oba Patrick Abudu, sent out the town criers and spokespersons around the community in on January 15 to solicit more funds to raise the ransom. “However, the amount raked in is a far cry from the ₦40m the kidnappers are demanding. They are unwilling to climb down, and are threatening to kill some of the victims to prove that they mean business,” he added.
Ekundayo also said two brothers, Ojo and Abiodun Ekpo, who are members of the community, escaped abduction on Thursday.
