“Gunmen Kidnap Nine Surveyors In Ondo, Demand N100m Ransom”

Gunmen have kidnapped at least nine surveyors in Ondo State. The victims were ambushed by armed men hiding in the bush while working at a site along the Ilu-Abo axis in Akure North Local Government Area.

The kidnappers initially demanded N100 million for the release of the surveyors but later lowered the ransom to N50 million after negotiations with the families.

In response to the rising wave of kidnappings and killings, women in Akure, the state capital, staged a protest on Tuesday, March 11. They gathered at the residence of the Ejeminkin of Akure, High Chief Oluwole Omotayo, to voice their concerns. Marching from Ijemikin to the Governor’s Office at Alagbaka, the protesters, primarily women, called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to take swift and decisive action against kidnappers, killer herdsmen, and other criminals infiltrating the state’s communities.

Addressing the protesters, Bola Taiwo, the Special Adviser on Union Matters and Special Duties, spoke on behalf of the governor. He criticized the surveyors for going to the site without security personnel, claiming they had received large payments from their clients but failed to allocate funds for their protection. Taiwo also suggested that insiders might be involved in the abduction.