Gunmen Kidnap Fuel Station Manager, Wife in Ekiti

  • Demand N20m ransom

By Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

A petrol dealer based in Ekiti State, Mr. D. Alalade, and his wife have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen .

Alalade, is the manager of one of BOVAS Petroleum and Gas Limited Filling stations in the state.

A source , who escaped from the scene confirmed to journalists that the couple were kidnapped at Efon Alaaye in Efon Local Government area at about 4pm on Friday.

The source said the couple’s family had been contacted about their abduction and a sum of N20 million ransom was being demanded to secure their release.

The source said the kidnappers who allegedly resembled Fulani herdsmen dressed in military uniform waylaid the victim’s vehicle between Efon and Erio Ekiti.

He said the abductors, numbering six, wielded sophisticated weapons during the attack.

“As they waylaid their car, the occupants of the vehicle coming behind them quickly ran into the bush to take cover.

“They even shot into the air to scare us and ensure that we waited, but we ran for our lives. We even thought they were robbers until we leanrt that they had called the victims’ family”, he said.

The sprawling forest between Efon, a border town with Osun State to Iwaraja, an Ijesa town, had been branded a beehive of criminals in
recent time.

Prominent indigenes of the state, including the State Financial Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Kayode Oni, had been kidnapped in that axis recently.

Men of the Nigeria Army a couple of weeks ago combed the bush, in a bid to arrest those who were taking cover in the forest to perpetrate evil.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), Ekiti Command, Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu, said he had not been briefed about the incident.

He promised to give detailed information to pressmen as soon as such was available.

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