The gunmen who kidnapped Joseph Aladesuyi, the secretary of Okeluju Local Council Development Area, LCDA, under Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, have made contact with his family demanding ₦100 million for his release.
According to a family source, the kidnappers reached out to the family through a telephone call around 7:00 am on Tuesday and left no room for negotiation after the demand.
Aladesuyi, who is the Managing Director of Jotina Farms, was abducted on Monday morning on his poultry farm alongside two others in the Kajola axis of Ilu-Abo community, Akure North Local Government Area, near the Akure Airport.
While speaking under anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, one of the family members described the last 24 hours as a period of intense anxiety for the family, particularly because the council secretary was shot in his hand during the invasion of his farm.
“They (kidnappers) called this morning. They asked us to bring ₦100 million before they would release him. They spoke very shortly and hastily during the call, and they did not even allow us to say much.
We have been very worried since yesterday, but the call has given us hope. We are still expecting that they will call because the money is a whole lot. How do we raise that amount as a family?
“Our concern is more about his health at the moment because we were made to understand that when they (kidnappers) arrived on the farm, he was shot in one of his hands while they were dragging him,” the family source stated.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, had disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, has directed that all operational and intelligence resources be deployed to ensure the safe rescue of the victims and the apprehension of the suspects.
