Abductors Free Bishop’s Children after 34 Days in Captivity

Abductors Free Bishop’s Children after 34 Days in Captivity
  •   Another six kidnapped in Kaduna

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The two children of Bishop Levi Onyeador of Prayers Palace Ministries, Kakuri, Kaduna, who were abducted by bandits have been set free after 34 days in captivity.

Also released were two other people abducted weeks ago when they went to deliver the ransom for the release of the bishop’s children.

Meanwhile, the Offa Descendants Union (ODU) on Monday raised the alarm over the abduction of six of their members along the Kaduna-Abuja road on Sunday.

A source close to the family of the bishop said the the children — Fumilayo aged 19 and her brother, Eric, aged 9 — were released by their abductors on Sunday evening, alongside the two others after the payment of yet another ransom.

Fumilayo and Eric were said to have been abducted on August 4, 2019, when bandits invaded their home in Kakau village, along the Kaduna-Abuja road in the night, about four kilometers away from Kaduna metropolis.

The source said their release was a big relief to the family who had been emotionally traumatised since they were abducted.

“You know, about two weeks after the children were abducted, we raised the money the kidnappers were demanding as ransom after negotiations.

“Unfortunately, the two people we sent to deliver the ransom were also abducted after delivering the money to the bandits.

“They started demanding for another ransom which we paid before they were released.

“We glorify God for their safe return, the situation was traumatising, we thank God for answering our prayers.

“We pray that the authorities will find lasting solution to the menace of kidnapping in Kaduna State and other parts of the country,” he said.

The Kaduna State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayab, who confirmed their release, called for ”continuous prayers against the evil that has befallen the country”.

”Bishop Levi Onyeador’s children and two others who went to pay ransom were released yesterday (Sunday) in the evening. You can imagine the physical and psychological trauma they may have been subjected to while in captivity.

”This is sad, we will continue to pray against the evil that has befallen our country. We will also continue to ask government to take urgent steps to address the spades of criminality, kidnapping and banditry across the country, especially the wave of kidnappings in Kaduna State,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State chapter of the Offa Descendants Union (ODU) has expressed deep concern over the abduction of six of its members on Sunday along the Kaduna-Abuja road.

In a statement on Monday in Kaduna, the Public Relations Officer of ODU, Maruf Olalekan Ajenifuja, said the victims were travelling from Offa, Kwara State, to Kaduna when bandits stopped their vehicle around Rejana village on the Kaduna-Abuja expressway.

He said the union was making efforts to secure the release of the victims.

The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Yakubu Sabo, did not respond to a message sent to him on the incident.

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