We Paid Ransom In Millions To Free My Kidnapped Niece, Says Catholic Archbishop

Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan Archdiocese, Most Reverend Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin has disclosed that millions of naira was paid in ransom to secure the release of his niece who was abducted by kidnappers in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State.

Abegunrin revealed this while addressing a press conference after the plenary session of the Ibadan Provincial Catholic Bishops Conference at the Jubilee Conference Centre, Oke Ado in Ibadan.

He decried the spate of insecurity in the Oke-Ogun area of the state, saying time had come for the state government to increase its security presence.

The Catholic Bishop added that his kidnapped niece spent five days in captivity until they were able to secure her release after paying millions of naira in ransom.

Abegunrin said he also received reports from his native Iwere-Ile, headquarters of Iwajowa local government area of Oyo State that a man was kidnapped and killed, and his brother who went to retrieve his corpse was also murdered by the criminals.

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“My niece who was coming from Ibadan was kidnapped. She spent about five days before she was rescued with millions of naira.

“I also know another man who was kidnapped like that from our village. One was kidnapped and killed, the brother went to pick his corpse and they killed the brother again,” he said.

“They ran to town to go and call the soldiers who were at the checkpoint and the local security and the police, and they all went. They killed all those people, including the soldiers, the police and the local security. I was saying, can the government not do something about that, can’t the government do something about incessant killings like that in a small village like Iwere-Ile?

“I can only point at Oke Ogun because I hear a lot of news from there because I am from there. People are afraid, some people even wanted to stop their children from going to school because they are not safe. I think the government should pay attention to that area. Many things are happening, and not only Oke Ogun.

“I think the governors should work hand-in-hand so that their hands can meet in creating security jointly so that the whole South-West will be under protection.

“Our governors in the South-West should work together really, so that there will be no loopholes where these bandits can enter. I appeal for that”, he said.

The Bishops denounced the resurgence of herdsmen attacks in the region and said the recent threats posed the resurgence of the menace of herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes in Yorubaland.

In a communiqué by the Bishops of the Province and signed by the chairman, Archbishop Abegunrin, and the secretary, Most Reverend John Akin Oyejola, they called for efficient intelligence gathering, good remunerations, equipping the security outfits and determination to prosecute crime without favour to curb the increasing crime in the region.

The Bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, comprising Ibadan Archdiocese, Ilorin, Ondo Oyo, Ekiti and Osogbo Dioceses, noted that intelligence-gathering and other listed factors were “all necessary for the provision of security of life and property and must be pursued with single mindedness.”