Kidnappers abducted three family members of Ahmed Ajobe, a former editor with Daily Trust, in Kogi State on Thursday.

The kidnapping took place amid preparations for the funeral rites for Ajobe’s mother who died due to an illness on Sunday. The kidnappers are demanding N50 million ransom.

Gunmen kidnapped the three, one male and two females, on Thursday afternoon. Halimtu-Sadiya Tahir, the former editor’s immediate younger sister, was one of the abductees.

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It was stated that they had gone to the community market in Awo, Ankpa Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, to buy some items for a seven-day prayer.

They were kidnapped on their way back from the market along the Ankpa-Adoka-Markudi road.

A family friend told The Punch that they were kidnapped at gunpoint at about 3:00 pm on Thursday, and the kidnappers reached out on Friday afternoon to demand a N50 million ransom.

The family friend was quoted as saying: “However, I can’t confirm what the family is offering in the negotiations because I had to leave the community for an emergency in Lokoja. What I can say is that no amount has been paid yet and the victims are still in captivity.”

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When FIJ called William Aya, Police Public Relations Officer in Kogi, on Saturday afternoon, he said he was not aware of the ransom demand. He, however, noted that the priority of the police is to ensure the safe release of the abducted persons and to arrest the kidnappers.

“I am not aware of any demand for ransom. That demand should be the affairs of the family. What the police are after is to ensure that the victims are rescued and the perpetrators are arrested and made to face the law,” Aya told FIJ.

“We are not after anything the family is discussing. Ours is to make sure that the people are released. We are making efforts. The police have been mobilised with local vigilantes and hunters in that area. We have been combing the bush to ensure that the victims are traced and rescued unharmed,” he added.
The post Gunmen Kidnap Ex-Editor’s Family Amid Mother’s Funeral Preparations, Demand N50m Ransom appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.