The wave of kidnapping has spread to Kwara State as gunmen reportedly abducted three farm managers at their commercial poultry farms at Pampo community in Asa local government area of Kwara state.
Already, the kidnappers who were said to be six in number and armed with AK47 rifles during the attack, have demanded the sum of N45million from the families of their victims .
The incident according to THISDAY checks happened at about 4:00 pm on Monday in the agricultural community located on Eyenkorin Afon Ogele road (near Ilorin, the state capital) in Asa local government area.
It was gathered that the suspected kidnappers, dressed in Army uniform, shot into the air when they arrived in Hilux vehicle at one of the two farms they operated.
The suspected kidnappers reportedly got hold of the chief security officer in the farm and locked him inside one room, before they took away the two farm workers in the first poultry farm.
A source, who is the owner of the second farm, Mr. Sanmi Omopariola of Mirola farm, told journalists in Ilorin on Wednesday, that the bandits also abducted his farm manager when they visited his farm on their way out of the community.
Omopariola, who said that the suspected kidnappers had contacted the farm owners, added that they demanded a total sum of N45 million for the three people abducted, which he said was N15 million ransom for each person.
He said the people kidnapped were two males and a female, adding that the bandits spoke like Fulani, “in the way they spoke in Yoruba language when we talked on phone.
“On Monday at about 4:30pm six suspected kidnappers in Army uniform heavily armed with AK 47 rifles, abducted three farm managers in our farms.
“They took two farm managers and on there way out of the first farm, they branched to my farm to take my own farm manager too, making three people kidnapped. Two males and one female”.
Omopariola said that the matter had been reported to police, adding that the Police Intelligence have even discovered that the suspected kidnappers are still around a location in Lasoju community, in the local government area of the state.
“We have been contacted by them. They demanded N15 million each for the kidnapped people, making a sum of N45million.
“We begged them to take N1million for the three people, explaining that we’re poor farmers. They said we should go and get good money before release of our people”.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the incident, said that the state commissioner of Police, Mohammed Bagega, has drafted officers and men of the command to secure the release of the kidnapped victims.
The PPRO assured that the kidnappers would soon be apprehended and the victims released to their families.
THISDAY
