Hoodlums suspected to be kidnappers have reportedly abducted two people between Akpanya and Magajia villages along the Lokoja-Abuja highway in the Kogi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Locals said the suspected kidnappers invaded the town of Akpanya in the late hours of last Thursday and kidnapped two people, a man and a woman, after shooting sporadically to scare people away.
‘The gunmen invaded the house of a Gbagi business man at Akpanya around 8pm, shooting heavily into the air, making villagers scamper for safety. The Gbagi man is into cassava business in the community.
‘In the process, they overpowered him and took him along with a woman who is heavily pregnant into their vehicle and zoomed off. ‘On their way out of his compound, the Gbagi man ‘disappeared’ into a nearby gutter. They searched unsuccessfully to get him back. Frustrated, they dropped the kidnapped pregnant woman because of her condition and left.
‘While on their way, the hoodlums sighted two men and forcefully abducted them at gun point to an unknown location,’ said Danladi Abubakar from Magajia, a neighbouring Akpanya village.
Another source from the community said one of the victims, identified as Jimoh Adewale, works at a cassava processing company at Jamata, Koton-Karfi.
He was said to be on his way to resume night duty at the company with another person when the hoodlums intercepted, and whisked them away.
‘News making the rounds in the community is that their abductors are demanding more than N60m ransom for their freedom,’ said another person who simply wants to be identified as Idris from Akpanya village.
Efforts were made to reach the state’s police command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP William Aya, but he failed to respond to an inquiry in texts and calls as of press time.