After spending four days in captivity, two footballers of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) who were abducted around Benin /Owo expressway last Sunday have regained their freedom after the payment of N2.5m ransom.
The two players, Dayo Ojo of Enyimba and Benjamin Iluyomade of Abia Comets were kidnapped on their way to Akure after their teams declared two weeks vacation following the outbreak of Covid-19 virus in the country.
Confirming the release of the two players on Thursday, a former teammate of the kidnapped victims, Sunday Abe, said the kidnappers demanded N100m as ransom to secure the freedom of the players.
He, however, said after negotiating with the kidnappers, they reduced the ransom to N20m but said the sum of N2.5m was paid at the end of the day.
He explained that the teammates of the players contributed the sum of N1.5m while the family also produced N1m before the victims were released.
He said security men were not involved in the release of the two players, saying the money was paid in cash to the abductors.
“They called us around after 4 pm on Wednesday that we should come with the money, after asking us to send recharge cards to them.
“We negotiated from 100m to N20m before they finally agreed on N2.5 million. They never asked us to drop the money inside the bush, but they met with us one on one.
“They asked me to bring the money before they released them, so I don’t know how the police claim to have rescued them.
“But the most important thing is that they returned home alive and reunited with their families.”
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