FREED EX-FERMA ENGINEER DIES DAY AFTER N45M PAYMENT TO KIDNAPPERS

Ayodele Alabi, one of the five recently abducted persons in Kwara state who regained freedom on Thursday is dead.

The deceased was a kidnap victim who gained freedom after spending six days in the den of the kidnappers and a ransom of N4.5 Million was paid.

Alabi, a retired engineer with the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency was reported to have died in the early hours of Friday in a hospital in Ilorin of the trauma and injuries he sustained while being tortured by the abductors.

A family source while talking to news correspondents, said, "It is unfortunate that Ayodele died after the family paid a ransom of N4.5m to the kidnappers, who tortured him to the extent of removing his foot nail. After his release, he and two other captives, who are natives of Offa and who also paid ransom od N2m each, trekked about 11 kilometres in the bush before they came out in Oko in the Irepodun Local Government Area of the state on Thursday night 

It is unfortunate that the police are claiming that the victims were released through their efforts: I can tell you how the families of the three victims negotiated to reduce the ransom from the N30m demanded by the kidnappers and paid them the agreed amounts. The police did not play any role in their freedom.

"Ayodele was kidnapped alongside his elder brother, who was abandoned and left behind when he couldn't continue the journey as a result of exhaustion, and after regaining strength, he walked out of the bush on Sunday."

The deceased was among the seven passengers kidnapped in a Toyota Sienna commercial vehicle by gunmen on Saturday, August 7, 2021, between Oke-Onigbin and Oma-Aran in the Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.

According to one one of Alabi's friends, Olabiyi Olabode, it was confirmed that he had died 4am on Friday as result of exhaustion and the bruises he suffered in the hand of the kidnappers.

The new commissioner of police who news correspondents confirmed evaded discussions on ransom paid, said the police had to comb through forest to secure release of the five kidnapped victims.