Abductors of Benue Catholic church worshipers demand N100m ransom

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 organisations, 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.”