Friday, February 13 2026 - The abductors of nine worshipers at St John’s Catholic Church, Ojije in Utonkon, Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, have demanded a ransom of N100m.
Suspected bandits invaded the
church during a vigil around 2 a.m. on Sunday, February 8, and abducted the
victims, comprising women and youths.
According to a family member of one of the victims,
the abductors first made contact with the families on Wednesday and demanded
the sum of N100m.
The source added that during negotiations in the early hours
of Thursday, the kidnappers reduced the ransom to N30m.
"This is the situation we found ourselves in now. It was
only yesterday (Wednesday) that they contacted us and demanded N100m,” the
source disclosed.
"After negotiation, they reduced the ransom to N30m,
which is what we are now working hard to raise. We are seeking
assistance from friends, relatives, and the wider public. We are also appealing
to public-spirited individuals, corporate organizations, and civil society
groups to come to the aid of the abductees.
“Security agencies have been deployed to the area, but they
have yet to apprehend the kidnappers and rescue our people. We are calling on
the government to deploy more personnel to comb the forest and bring the
perpetrators to justice."
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