Abductors of Mrs Bola Ajiboye, the wife of Pastor Johnson Ajiboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Kwara State, have detained the man sent to deliver the ransom to them after releasing the woman.
Mrs Ajiboye was kidnapped in her shop at Elerinjare community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State on the night of Thursday last week when gunmen invaded the town.
Sources disclosed that Mrs Ajiboye was released by her abductors on Wednesday after the payment of N1 million ransom along with foodstuffs and other items demanded by the kidnappers to regain her freedom.
An elder in the community, however, said that the middle-aged man who went to deliver the ransom to the kidnappers was detained after the delivery of the ransom.
He said that the kidnappers had gotten in contact with the community and demanded that a sum of N5 million be paid before the messenger of the earlier ransom would be released.
According to the elder, “We are sad in the Elerinjare community because of the news emanating from our town. Our people now live in fear because of the recent kidnapping.
“Elerinjare is a journey of 45 minutes to Ilorin, and I have been invited to attend a meeting at home on how we are going to raise money for the release of the man who went to deliver the ransom for the release of the pastor’s wife. But I have the fear of how to get to the town”, he told The PUNCH.
“The kidnappers are demanding a sum of N5 million as ransom from the community, how do we raise such an amount now?” he exclaimed.
He said that Mrs Ajiboye had been relocated to a private facility in the community ‘to take a rest’.
He said the bearer who was sent to deliver the ransom and the other items was, however, detained by the abductors.
Mrs Ajiboye was kidnapped at about 9 pm on Thursday last week at Elerinjare village, near Idofian town, in Ifelodun Local Council area of Kwara State.
During the operations at her house, one of her daughters miraculously escaped amid sporadic gunshots, while a man reportedly sustained gunshot injuries from the kidnappers.
When contacted, the spokesman for the state police command, SP Okasanmi Ajayi, said he had yet to be briefed on the development.
(Punch)
