The Ogun State Police Command has said it is not aware that N34.5m was paid as ransom to kidnappers last week.
According to the PUNCH, the kidnappers, suspected to be herdsmen, reportedly collected over N34.5m from the eight victims in three separate operations carried out in different parts of Ogun State.
The paper had earlier reported that some kidnappers abducted a businesswoman and her guest in Ofada village, in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area two weeks ago; a driver and three passengers on Abeokuta-Ayetoro Road, as well as four victims in Ibara-Orile in Abeokuta-North LGA last week.
It added that the victims were all released after a total of over N34.5m ransom was paid to the abductors.
The kidnappers of the victims at Ibara-Orile reportedly collected N30m from the husband of one of the victims.
It was further gathered that for the drivers and the three passengers on Abeokuta-Ayetoro Road, N4.5m was paid on Saturday.
The businesswoman and her guest, who were released last week, reportedly parted with an undisclosed amount of money.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed that the victims had been released, denied knowledge of payment of ransoms by the victims’ families.
He said “We are not a party to any payment of ransom. When they want to do it, they will not carry the police along.”
When asked about the growing payment of ransom by victims’ families, the PPRO said, “How do we do it when you are not carried along? By the time they start the negotiation, we are not even aware.”
