Gunmen free abducted Ekiti farmers after N2m ransom

The four farmers abducted from a farm settlement at Ikosu Ekiti in the Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Monday evening have regained their freedom.

The gunmen had on Tuesday, according to sources, contacted the authorities of the farm settlement and demanded N50 million before they could let the four victims off the hook.

However, sources in the area said on Saturday that the four men were released on Friday evening after spending four nights with the gunmen.

A source said, “I can tell you that they have been released. They are back to their families. All I can say is that when the kidnappers demanded ransom which was N50 million initially before it was reduced to N3 million, people were making moves to pay.

“But remember a suspected kidnapper, believed to be among the gunmen, was arrested in the week. It is possible the suspect was the one that gave the security agencies the clue. All I can say is that they are back home,” the source said.

But an impeccable source said, “The four victims were released at  Isolo in Kwara State after payment of N2 million. When the families were able to raise N2million, the kidnappers insisted on N30million. But they collected the N2million later.

The source, who lamented the increasing rate of kidnapping in the state, appealed to the state and federal governments “to make urgent moves to proffer solutions to the menace”.