Four persons, including a National Youth Service Corps member identified as Becky Godfrey, have been kidnapped while traveling along the Okene-Auchi Road.
The kidnapped victims were said to be on their way to Bayelsa State at the time they were abducted.
Godfrey was believed to be traveling to her place of primary assignment in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to perform her monthly clearance when she was kidnapped.
The kidnappers were said to have laid ambush by having one of their gang dressed in a police uniform who flagged down the bus.
Godfrey and the three other passengers on the bus were seized while the bus driver and other passengers were freed before the kidnappers disappeared into the bush with their victims.
The kidnappers have since contacted Godfrey’s father, Mr. Braima Godfrey, demanding a N5 million ransom to have his daughter released.
“They said I should bring N5m. I bargained with them on Monday, but they did not agree. I called them more than 20 times, but they insisted on N5m. I called them again this morning (Tuesday), they were adamant.
“My daughter told me on the phone that some of her abductors wore masks and that three other passengers were kidnapped. She graduated last year from Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, where she studied Marketing. She will finish her service in May.
Mr. Braima said the kidnappers were insistent on collecting the N5 million ransom they demanded but he proceeded to the Okene Police Division to report the incident, which made the police to swing into action.
“When I got to the Okene Police Division on Tuesday, I was told that the Area Commander and some officers had gone to the scene of the incident.
“Around 12pm, my daughter and the three others were rescued and one of the suspects was arrested,” Mr. Godfrey said.
Miss Godfrey narrated her ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers in a conversation with pressmen, as reported in The PUNCH newspaper: “As we were travelling, an armed man in a police uniform stopped our bus. We were 11 on that bus. Our driver thought he was a policeman and stopped for him. He suddenly fired his gun and some men came out of the bush.
“They collected our money and phones and took four of us with them into the bush. Some of them were Fulani. They beat me up and forced me to disclose my father’s phone number.
“My experience in the bush was terrible. They didn’t give us any food. Later, they gave us dirty water to quench our thirst. The water was smelly. None of us drank it. I was the only female; the three other victims were males.”
Two suspects have since been arrested in connection to the kidnap, according to the Kogi State Public Relations Officer, Mr. William Aya.
“The Area Commander led a team to the bush and rescued the four victims. One of them is a corps member. We were able to arrest two suspects and efforts are ongoing to arrest fleeing members of the gang.”