The newly called-to-the-bar lawyer, Peace Onyesom, and her sister, Gift Onyesom, who were kidnapped along the Okene-Auchi Road on Friday, have regained their freedom.
The victims’ brother, Godspower Onyesom, confirmed their release to PUNCH Metro correspondent in a telephone conversation on Tuesday.
PUNCH Metro recalls that the Peace had participated in the Nigerian Law School call-to-the-bar ceremony on September 23.
She was returning to Benin, Edo State, alongside her sister when they were kidnapped.
The victims’ sister, Adaeze Onyesom, had, in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Metro, narrated that the abductors were demanding a ransom of N40m.
She noted that the kidnappers reached out to the family on Friday, demanding a sum of N100m, which they pleaded to be reduced.
Adaeze said, “When they (the kidnappers) contacted us on Friday evening, they told us that we should bring N100m, but we told them we cannot get such an amount, and we pleaded with them. On Saturday, they called back and reduced it to N20m, but we told them we can only raise N3m, but they declined.
“After a while, they called us back to say that they are not collecting anything less than N20m for each person, which is N40m for the two of them. We appeal that it is only N7m that we could raise, but they did not agree.
She had also lamented that the situation caused distress to the family, and they had resorted to selling properties to raise the ransom.
Confirming her release, Godspower said, “She has been released. She is back home.”
In an accompanying video sent to our correspondent, Peace thanked everyone who had come to her rescue while saying that the military rescued them.
She said, “Thank you, everyone. My sister and I have been rescued. The military in Okpella has rescued us.”
Similarly, an ex-aide to the Delta State Governor, Harrisson Gwanishu, confirmed in a Facebook post on Tuesday that Peace and her sister had been released.
Gwamnishu wrote, “Peace Onyesom and Gift Onyesom, kidnapped while returning from the call to ceremony in Abuja, have just been released to us near a village in Okpella. It is a tough journey.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, Williams Aya, proved abortive as he did not respond to calls made to his line as of the time of filing this report.
PUNCH Metro reports that the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a post on his X page on Sunday, disclosed that eight of the abducted persons were rescued.
This incident is not the first instance of kidnapping along the Abuja, Kogi, and Benin expressways.
In February, a member of the National Youth Service Corps serving in Ibadan, Oyo State, Rofiat Lawal, was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen along the Benin-Ore Expressway.
Her friend, who identified as Agbakwara, had raised the alarm about Lawal’s abduction, stressing that she was returning from Benin, Edo State, to report to her place of primary assignment in Oyo when she was abducted.
She was, however, released after her family paid a ransom of N1 million.
Similarly, on September 9, the Kogi State Vigilante Services confirmed the abduction of three passengers of an 18-seater Toyota bus at Aku village along the Okene-Lokoja Expressway.
PUNCH.
