Kidnappers abduct Ogun varsity student in Lagos, demand N3m ransom

Suspected kidnappers have abducted a 300-level student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Christiana Idowu, along the Ikorodu-Yaba Road in Lagos.

A family source who spoke with Punch on the condition of anonymity on Monday, August 26, 2024, disclosed that the abductors were demanding a sum of N3m as a ransom before they could release the student.

According to the source, Christiana had left her home in the Itaoluwo area of Ikorodu heading to the University of Lagos in the Yaba area of the state where she was observing her industrial training before she was abducted by the kidnappers last week. 

The source disclosed further that after she was unreachable for a while, the abductors reached out to the family through her telephone, demanding that a ransom of N3m be paid before she could be released.

After several appeals from the family, the abductors agreed that a sum of N350,000 be paid to a certain account, which the family paid, but the abductors refused to release her despite the payment.

“They are communicating with the family through her WhatsApp, and they demanded N3m. We appealed to them, and it was reduced to N1m, then N500,000, and later, they asked that we pay N350,000,” the source said. 

“After we paid the N350,000 ransom, they refused to release her to us and were demanding that we send the bank statement of the account we made the transfer from before they would release her to us.

“We have reported the matter to the police and can not handle it as a family again. We are urging the government and the public to come to our aid.”