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Gunmen in Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria have freed a retired secondary faculty principal after spending 5 days in captivity.
The sufferer, Ezekiel Paul, was launched on Friday after fee of N1.5 million ransom, household sources informed PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.
This newspaper final week reported that gunmen who kidnapped Mr Paul initially demanded N20 million ransom earlier than lowering it to N5 million.
The police spokesperson within the state, Timfon John confirmed the sufferer’s launch to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.
Ms John, an assistant superintendent of police, nevertheless, denied data of ransom fee.
“The knowledge at my disposal is that the sufferer has been freed and reunited together with his household. I’ve no data of fee of ransom,” she informed this newspaper.
Mr Paul, who’s a brother to the Archbishop of the African Church, Uyo Province, was kidnapped at his nation residence, Ikot Abasi Akpan in Mkpat Enin Native Authorities Space of Akwa Ibom State.
Earlier kidnappings
Residents of the world the place Mr Paul was kidnapped, notably Abak – Ikot Abasi Highway and Ekpene Ukpa Highway, stretching from Ekparakwa in Oruk Anam Native Authorities Space by Mkpat Enin Native Authorities to Etinan Native Authorities Space, reside in concern due to the actions of kidnappers.
Within the final three years, gunmen have carried out a collection of abductions, collected large ransoms and in some events killed their victims.
Inside three months in 2022, gunmen kidnapped 4 high-profile folks together with two clerics a medical physician and a political occasion chieftain within the space. All 4 kidnappings occurred inside 5 kilometres aside.
In February 2022, gunmen invaded a cottage hospital in Ikot Ekpaw, Mkpat Enin Native Authorities Space, and kidnapped a medical physician, Felix Ekpo.
Punch newspaper reported that the abductors stormed the hospital within the morning and made away with the physician in his automobile.
Two months later – in April, gunmen kidnapped John Okoriko, a televangelist and founding father of Stable Rock Kingdom Church.
Mr Okoriko was kidnapped when gunmen invaded the headquarters of his church in his village, Ibekwe Akpanya in Mkpat Enin LGA, PREMIUM TIMES reported.
In Could, similar yr, gunmen kidnapped Alphonsus Eboh, a Catholic priest in the identical group – Ikot Abasi Akpan —- the place Mr Paul was kidnapped —- and demanded N100 million as ransom.
The then chairperson of the parish council, Cletus Okodi, had informed PREMIUM TIMES that the priest was stored in an unidentified forest within the space.
Mr Okodi, himself as soon as a sufferer of kidnapping, didn’t disclose the quantity the church paid earlier than the priest was launched.
Nonetheless in Could 2022, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Social gathering (PDP) within the state, Sylvester Ntefre, was shot useless by gunmen.
Gunmen invaded his residence in Ekparakwa, alongside Abak-Ikot Abasi Highway in a black SUV and fired sporadic photographs to scare neighbours earlier than abducting the person.
About three months in the past – March 2024 a liquor distributor, who was kidnapped at his workplace in Ekparakwa – meters away from the place Mr Ntefre was kidnapped, died in captivity, Solar newspaper reported.
Malcahy Ufot, a retired broadcaster with the Federal Radio Company of Nigeria who was kidnapped by gunmen in October final yr however launched after he turned unconscious in captivity, died the following day at a hospital in Uyo.
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