The fate of five person that were kidnapped in Ingle Otanufe community in the Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State have been tied to five million naira by their abductors.
According to reports made available to NIGERIACRIME, suspected kidnappers invaded the community on Wednesday and whisked their victims, which includes a woman away to an unknown location.
It was also learnt that the kidnap victims were abducted from different locations by the gunmen.
According to an indigene of Ingle and National President of the Edumoga Youth Association, Lucky Itodo, three people, John Matthew, Simon Okpe and Michael Adah, were abducted from Otanufe, while a man and his wife, John Boniface and John Faith, were kidnapped from Efonugu.
READ ALSO: Lagos Building Collapse: Sanwo-Olu Indicts FG, Developers
Itodo disclosed that one Godwin Adah, who is a relative of one of the victims, Michael Adah, received a call from the abductors shortly after the five persons were held captive.
The hoodlums were said to have demanded N10m for the victims.
Itodo said, “Yes, they initially demanded the payment of N10m to set them free but the abductors later cut down the ransom to N5m, which the families are still unable to pay.”
He noted that the gunmen were threatening to “waste the lives of their victims if the ransom is not paid on time.”
The youth leader called on government at all levels, as well as privileged individuals, to come to the aid of the abducted persons.
He said the victims were peasant farmers going about their routine task of sourcing food for consumption.