Akure, the Ondo State Capital has on Tuesday received angry protesters who are requesting for immediate action over the abduction of nine surveyors at Owode, Ilu-Abo in Akure South Local Government Area.
The victims who were all Akure indigenes were reportedly kidnapped on a job site last week.
Relatives of the victims and concerned residents of the area led the protest, and were seen blocking the Oba Adesida road, requesting the security officials to secure their release.
One of the protesters who happens to be a sister to one of the kidnapped victims, Comfort Alabi, according to reports, lamented on how the kidnappers requested 50 million naira ransom to open negotiations but later increased it to 100 million naira.
“We have been pleading with them, but they insist they won’t release our loved ones unless we pay the full amount. We are helpless and need the government to intervene,” she lamented.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, while reacting to the incident expressed the commands effort in tackling such growing menace, but struggling with inadequate resources.
“The issue of kidnapping is a serious concern, and we are doing everything within our capacity to address it. However, we need better resources to strengthen our operations,” Afolabi said.
Ondo State has faced several kidnapping occurrences with a recent update of a farmer and his manager who were abducted while returning from their farm in Oba Ile area.
