Ondo: Kidnappers kill APC ward chairman after collecting N5m ransom
. Spare 2 ransom bearers
. Wanted kidnapper arrested during screening of intending pilgrims in Abuja
CHIGOZIE AMADI
Ifon, the headquarters of Ose local government area of Ondo state is in mourning mood as one of its illustrious son, Nelson Adepoyigi, the All Progressives Congress(APC) ward 5 chairman, has been reportedly killed by unknown gunmen.
Adepoyigi was kidnapped at his residence in Ifon few days ago before the latest revelation.
However, the two individuals who took N5million and food items to them as ransom to secure Adepoyigi’s release were set free by the killers.
The kidnappers during negotiation had earlier reduced their initial demand from N100 million to N5million alongside food supplies.
They made a fresh demand of N30m to secure the release of the three captives including late Adepoyigi and the two ransom bearers.
An APC chieftain and Ifon community leader who spoke in confidence confirmed the report, saying the corpse of the victim was yet to be located in the forest.
He however said the two ransom bearers who had reunited with their families confirmed that the suspected kidnappers said they had shot dead the APC ward chairman.
However, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Olutokunbo Afolabi said police could not ascertain the killing of the APC Chairman as at press time, but stressed that he has deployed special officers to Ifon to investigate the story.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the local government, Hon. Barr. Clement Kolapo Ojo affirmed that the two volunteers have now regained their freedom.
He said, “it is deeply saddening and painful that the life of Mr. Nelson Adepoyigi was brutally cut short by his captors
“The entire leadership and people of Ose Local Government mourn this tragic loss. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and political associates of the deceased.
“His dedication to the progress of our party and the grassroots community will be forever remembered and honoured.
“We are now at a critical juncture where security challenges have become a serious threat to the safety and freedom of our people. Only a few days before this incident, another resident narrowly escaped being kidnapped while parking his motorcycle. This pattern of brazen abductions, even at the very gates of people’s homes, confirms that insecurity has taken a dangerous and intolerable dimension.”
It would be recalled that in year 2020, the late Olufon of Ifon, a first class monarch, Oba Israel Adeusi was also killed by gunmen at Elegbeka village near Ifon while returning from the State Council of Obas’ meeting in Akure, the Ondo state capital.
.Wanted kidnapper arrested during screening of intending pilgrims in Abuja
Meanwhile, Security operatives have apprehended a suspected kidnapper, Yahaya Zango, at the Abuja Hajj camp while he was undergoing routine screening alongside intending Muslim pilgrims set to be airlifted to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj.
In a report by Daily Trust, a security source at the camp, who confirmed the arrest on Sunday, said Zango, who hails from Paikon-Kore in the Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was declared wanted by security agencies over his alleged involvement in a series of kidnappings.
“It was this afternoon during the screening at the Hajj camp in the airport when the DSS operatives apprehended him and whisked him away,” the source stated, noting that the arrest occurred amid preparations for the airlift of pilgrims.
Zango reportedly presented his international passport and joined the queue with other intending pilgrims before operatives of DSS identified and arrested him.
Confirming the arrest, a senior official of the FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, who requested anonymity, said that the suspect had been on the run and was caught just as the screening process commenced.
“He tried to blend in with the pilgrims to escape detection, but the operatives were already on alert,” the official said.
The DSS was yet to issue an official statement on the arrest as of the time of filing this report.
