A corps member, three teachers and a security guard are still being held by their abductors for about a month now, after they were kidnapped from State Secondary School in Agban-Ndele in Ndele community in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers state have scaled down their ransom demand from N50 million to N25 million and to N12.5million which the community, however, insists that it cannot pay.
Eze Godwin Iransi, the paramount ruler of Ndele community has revealed that the kidnappers have been in open communication with the community through one of the chiefs and have come down from the earlier demands of N50million to N25million, N10 million, N5million and the latest being N2.5million on each of the victims.
The paramount ruler insists that Ndele is a poor community and cannot afford such a huge amount in sum. He pleaded for unconditional release of the victims who have suffered enough for a month for the sake of God and humanity.
On October 12, 2015, kidnappers had taken hostage of three teachers, a youth corp member and a security guard at Agba-Ndele community secondary school in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers state and demanded a ransom of N25 million before the victims would be released.
Those kidnapped included teachers, Joseph Dimkpa, Martina Ofuru, and Charity Mbajike; a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Obinna Duru; and a security guard, Jonathan Woforu.
The traditional leader of Ndele Community, Eze Godwin Iransi, disclosed that the kidnappers made contact through one of his chiefs.
He said: “They (abductors) have been able to call; they called one of my chiefs, and they have reduced the demand from N50 million to N25million to N2.5 million each, but the community is poor and cannot raise such.
“I am pleading that, at least, for the sake of God and for the sake of humanity, release those four persons. Two of them are women and two of them are men. How can you take women to God knows where.
“They took them through the Sombrero river. Are they keeping them in the creeks? Are they keeping them in the bush? Are they keeping them under what condition? They should please release them,” he appealed.