Gunmen abduct three children in Kogi, demand N100m ransom

Some gunmen kidnapped three children at about 8 pm, on Wednesday night, in Kaduna Estate, Ajaokuta steel township complex in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State.

According to an eyewitness account, the gunmen who were fully armed, shot sporadically in the air to scare security agencies and neighbours before kidnapping the three children.

An anonymous source identified the parent of the kidnapped children as Mr. Kadiri who hailed from Edo State.

The source said the gunmen, on Thursday morning, contacted the family of their victims demanding N100 million before they will release the abducted children.

Narrating how the incident happened, the source said: “The gunmen came in their numbers fully armed to the house of Mr. Kadiri, our brother that sells television, radio and other electronic devices in the steel township.

“They shot countless times to scare people from coming close. When they could not see their target victim (Kadiri) they decided to pick up the three children from the house. As we speak, their whereabouts are unknown. The kidnappers contacted some of our family members and they are demanding N100 million. Where on earth can we raise such an amount of money?

“Here in Ajaokuta, we can no longer sleep with our two eyes close. There is armed robbery and kidnapping everywhere. Recently, we all saw how innocent policemen and vigilantes were killed. Things are already falling apart. Nowhere is safe again.”

Efforts to speak with the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Kogi State, William Ovye Aya, proved abortive as at the time of filing this report, on Thursday evening.

It would be recalled that, as part of a measure to address insecurity, Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello recently ordered the closure of all brothels that harbour criminals and placed a ban on the wearing of a facemask in public places for proper identification. (Nigerian Tribune)