Inside Nigeria
In Ondo, Gunmen Abduct Anglican Cleric, Son, Demand N10m Ransom
Dare-devil gunmen have abducted an Anglican Church cleric, Olu Obanla, in Ondo State.
The clergy man was whisked away alongside his son by the gang.
Venerable Obanla was kidnapped on Saturday, at Ifon Road, in the Ose Local Government Area of the state.
He was kidnapped by the hoodlums, alongside his son, while on transit at Okeluse.
A source, who confirmed the incident in a terse message, said the suspects waylaid the father and son, before dragging them into a thick forest in Ifon.
The source further revealed that the gunmen later contacted the family of the cleric through his wife on the phone.
He added that the suspects demanded a ransom of N10 million from the family.
“But the family could not raise the money. They even begged the kidnappers to allow them to send a certain amount of money so that they could release the man and his son but they rejected it,” he added.
Confirming the incident in a telephone interview, the spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, DSP Funmilayo Odunlami, said the anti-kidnapping section of the command was already on the trail of the suspects.
Odunlami added that the father and son would be rescued unhurt from the kidnappers’ den.
He urged the locals in the area to assist the police with more information about the incident.