Suspected terrorists who abducted seven construction workers in Oba community, Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State, have reportedly demanded a ransom of N500 million for their release.
A source from one of the victims’ families told SaharaReporters on Wednesday evening that the kidnappers contacted them and insisted on the payment before the workers could be freed.
The victims, engaged in an ongoing construction project in the area, were recently seized by armed men during an attack, plunging their families and the local community into fear and uncertainty.
“The kidnappers have reached out and demanded N500 million for the release of the seven construction workers,” the source said. “We are appealing to the Kwara State Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure their safe release.”
Among those abducted are two staff members of the Kwara State Ministry of Works. The attackers reportedly stormed the construction site, overpowered the workers, and marched them into the bush without encountering immediate resistance.
In a related development, Nigerian soldiers recently intercepted a group of suspected bandits patrolling Ifelodun Local Government Area with AK-47 rifles in a local security patrol vehicle. The suspects were taken into custody during the operation.
In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, the arrested men were seen prostrated with hands tied while soldiers questioned them about their activities and the source of the arms.
One of the suspects, speaking in Hausa and Pidgin English, alleged that the vehicle and rifles were supplied by the Kwara State government. “We have been here for quite a while. We are using the vehicle for patrol. Wallahi, na the truth I dey tell you. Ilorin government na him give us this motor and the weapons,” he said.
The suspect added that the arms were collected by a superior, whom he called “our oga,” insisting that multiple individuals were involved in the distribution of the weapons.
“We are not the ones that collected the rifles; it was our oga that collected them. I know because I was with them. We go patrol many times with them, including oga Victor. All of them are involved. The weapons are theirs,” he claimed.
