Angry protesters took to the streets of Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Tuesday, demanding urgent action over the abduction of nine surveyors at Owode Ilu-Abo in Akure South Local Government Area.
The victims, all indigenes of Akure, were reportedly on a job site when they were seized by armed men last week.
The demonstration, led by distraught relatives and concerned residents, saw placard-wielding women blocking the busy Oba Adesida Road, disrupting traffic as they called on security agencies to secure the release of the kidnapped workers.
One of the protesters, Comfort Afolabi, whose brother is among the abducted surveyors, said the kidnappers initially demanded N50m as a condition to begin negotiations but later raised the ransom to N100m.
“We have been pleading with them, but they insist they won’t release our loved ones unless we pay the full amount. We are helpless and need the government to intervene,” she lamented.
The latest abduction adds to the growing wave of kidnappings in Ondo State. Just last week, a farmer and his manager were abducted while returning from their farm in the Oba Ile area.
Reacting to the situation, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, acknowledged the security challenges facing the state but admitted that the command was struggling with inadequate logistics to combat rising criminal activities.
“The issue of kidnapping is a serious concern, and we are doing everything within our capacity to address it. However, we need better resources to strengthen our operations,” Afolabi said.
