The traditional ruler of Imoga community in Edo State, Patrick Abudu, has mobilised town criers and community spokespersons to solicit N40 million ransom for the release of eight abducted indigenes.
Punch newspaper reported that kidnappers have threatened to kill the victims for failing to meet their demands.
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They were abducted at Star Boy Hotel along Ibillo Road on 9 January, according to the newspaper.
Bode Ekundayo, coordinator of the Movement for the Advancement of Akoko Edo People told the newspaper that the kidnappers initially demanded N100 million, and later reduced it to N80 million and then N40 million, an amount still beyond what families and the community could raise.
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“The amount raked in is a far cry from the N40m the kidnappers are demanding. They are unwilling to climb down and are threatening to kill some of the victims to prove that they mean business,” Mr Ekundayo said.
According to Mr Ekundayo, two community members, Ojo and Abiodun Ekpo, narrowly escaped abduction while working on their farm, bolstering fears among residents.
The police spokesperson in the state, Eno Ikoedem, demanded details of the incident but failed to respond after details were forwarded to her.
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Growing kidnap Wave in Edo
The Imoga incident adds to a spate of kidnappings in Edo this year.
Earlier in January, two brothers were abducted in Auchi, with one killed by their captors amid ransom negotiations.
In recent months, residents in parts of the state such as Ekpoma protested escalating kidnap-for-ransom attacks, saying the menace has disrupted daily life and instilled fear across communities, PREMIUM TIMES reported.
Kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative criminal enterprise across Nigeria.
This newspaper last year reported how Nigerians paid at least N2.57 billion in ransoms over a one-year period.
In northern states, bandits abduct villagers and demand ransoms, while schoolchildren have been taken hostage in high-profile attacks, prompting calls for tougher national security action.
READ ALSO: Edo residents protest rising kidnap attacks
Community pushback and response
Traditional institutions and families in Edo are now bearing the burden of negotiating with kidnappers, often resorting to grassroots fundraising to save lives.
Security experts and civil society have decried the rising violence, urging state and federal authorities to strengthen intelligence and policing strategies to stem the tide of kidnappings that threaten social and economic stability nationwide.
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