Benin – The Igueben incident kidnappers have reportedly contacted certain family members and are seeking N20 million for each victim, according to information that began to circulate late on Monday.
A local resident said that a security guard notified him of the most recent development, but the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, said he will investigate the claim to see whether it is accurate.
Benson Odia, the executive director of Esan Youth for Good Governance and Social Justice, confirmed the story of the demand but said it was nonsensical and urged the authorities to step up efforts to free those who had been kidnapped and were still being kept prisoner by their kidnappers.
He said, “I can tell you that the kidnappers have demanded N20 million, totalling N620 million. This is absurd and I don’t know where poor people will be able to raise that amount of money.”
The kidnapping by gunmen at the Igueben train sub-station in Edo State late on Saturday night is said to have involved around thirty passengers and employees of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
The liaison to the local government area, Best Oseh, claimed security services and paramilitary groups are searching the nearby woodlands for clues about the event.
He said “As I speak, people are in the field all over the place, vigilantes, security agencies and other people, everybody is concerned but we have to be careful with what we divulge so that we won’t jeopardize the processes we are doing.
“As for the category of people kidnapped, some of them are from Igueben while others are passengers from other places and as for the number, for now, we are looking at over 30 but we can only give a comprehensive number when preliminary investigations are concluded.”
Giving further details on the event, Comrade Odia Benson, a local, claimed the kidnappers freed the two children they had with them while a lady is alleged to have managed to flee.
He claimed that some NRC employees, including the station manager and ticket agent, were kidnapped.
In its place, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced the indefinite closure of Edo State’s Ekehen Station.
In a message shared on the passengers’ WhatApp Group, the Corporation said, “Public Announcement: This is to inform our general public and most especially our esteemed passengers, that Ekehen Station has been temporarily closed due to security issues, till further notice.”
