Nelson Adepoyigi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ward 5 Chairman in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, who was recently kidnapped in Ifon, has reportedly been killed by his abductors.
The kidnappers, however, freed two individuals who took N5 million and food items to them as ransom in a bid to secure Mr Adepoyigi’s release. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the two were initially abducted when they took the ransom to the kidnappers.
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The kidnappers had earlier reduced their initial demand for the APC leader’s release from N100 million to N5 million. They also demanded food supplies.
After they increased their captives to three with the abduction of the ransom takers, they made a fresh demand of N30 million to secure the release of the three captives.
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Confirming the killing of the APC chieftain, an Ifon community leader, who spoke anonymously, said the corpse of the victim was yet to be located in the forest, but the two ransom bearers had reunited with their families.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Ose LGA, Clement Ojo, said the community was grateful that the two volunteers had regained their freedom, but expressed sadness at the murder of Mr Adepoyigi.
“The entire leadership and people of Ose Local Government mourn this tragic loss. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and political associates of the deceased,” he said.
“His dedication to the progress of our party and the grassroots community will be forever remembered and honoured.”
He, however, did not disclose how they confirmed the death of the party leader or whether an additional ransom was paid apart from the N5 million.
The council chairman lamented the high rate of kidnappings in the area.
“We are now at a critical juncture where security challenges have become a serious threat to the safety and freedom of our people,” he said. “Only a few days before this incident, another resident narrowly escaped being kidnapped while parking his motorcycle. This pattern of brazen abductions, even at the very gates of people’s homes, confirms that insecurity has taken a dangerous and intolerable dimension.”
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Mr Ojo stressed the need for urgent intervention from security agencies to re-strategise and respond promptly to intelligence reports.
He also recommended the deployment of security personnel and infrastructure to vulnerable communities in Ose LGA and surrounding areas, as well as improved surveillance, patrols, and community collaboration to detect and deter criminal elements.
Mr Ojo called for the swift arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of this heinous crime to serve as a deterrent to others.
In his reaction, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Olutokunbo Afolabi, said the police could not immediately ascertain the killing but had deployed special officers to Ifon to investigate the matter.
