The couple, Mr and Mrs Gbenga Ibikunle and a 35-year-old man who were kidnapped last week at Uso along Owo-Akure highway while on their way from Ebonyi to Akure, the state capital, have denied that they were rescued by security agencies.
According to the victims, a total of N12 million naira was collected as ransom by the kidnappers before they were released.
The Ondo State Police Command had last week Friday through its spokesman, ASP Tee-Leo Ikoro, stated that the victims were rescued at the forest where they were taken to after the command dispatched its tactical squad for a rescue mission into the forest.
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ASP Ikoro had said “We heard they were asking for N20 million ransom, but we are not interested in that. Rather we are going after them. We rescued the couple and we are going to get the perpetrators.”
Speaking on the development on Monday, Mr Gbenga Ibikunle said the police, soldiers as well as the Amotekun corps were nowhere to be found during their ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers.
According to the victim Ibikunle who said, his family raised N2m which the kidnappers collected before he was released along with his wife.
He also said that N10 million was paid as ransom for the release of the third victim Olatunbosun.
Throughout the horrific experience, we didn’t see anyone of security operatives. I even felt that during the payment of ransom, they (security agents) ought to have laid an ambush for the kidnappers despite that the ransom was paid on the highway.
“We didn’t come across any police, Amotekun or soldiers. The police did not know how I got home until I went to the Anti-Kidnapping squad to write a statement the following day.”
Also, corroborating his claim, Olatubosun maintained that his family cuffed out N10 million as payment of ransom before he was released.
The victims emphasized that the ransom was delivered on the Owo-Akure highway without any challenge by security agencies
