By Frank Ulom
The Deputy Governorship candidate of the Young People’s Party (YPP), Prince Agbor Onyi kidnapped on Thursday, two days to the Saturday (March 18) Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Cross River State has been released.
Others kidnapped alongside Onyi are Assistant Superintendent of Immigration, ASI Imojara Godwin Imojara, Mrs Sandra Egbung and one other whose name is yet to be ascertained were also freed.
CONVERSEER gathered that the quartet were released on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.
They were kidnapped along Calabar-Ikom Highway, around Akparavuni in Biase Local Government Area of the State. That portion of the road has been adjudged the deadliest as more than 20 people have been kidnapped in the past 6 months.
Recall that the kidnappers had earlier demanded 200 million naira as a ransom for their release.
Confirming his release, Onyi told CONVERSEER that they were released in the earlier hours of today of the day.
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He said the kidnappers demanded 50 million naira from each of them, adding that neither the Nigeria Police Force nor any security agency came to their rescue.
“The experience was terrible. The Police did not come, neither did any security agency – maybe if they had, they [kidnappers] could have killed us.
“First, they [kidnappers] demanded 50 million naira from each person, we could not pay. We later paid what we had before they released us”, Onyi said.
Also confirming the release of the Immigration Officer, a family source told CONVERSEER that ASI Imojara was released after a ransom was paid.
“They were released around 3 a.m. this morning (Tuesday, March 21) after they paid a certain amount of money. They could not afford the 50 million naira ransom put on each person’s head. No security agency was involved in the release”, the source said.
CONVERSEER reported that the Immigration Officer was posted for special duty (election duty) when he was kidnapped along with the YPP Deputy Governorship candidate and two others in their Toyota Corolla vehicle.
“Even the first election [Presidential and National Assembly election] they went to, they have not been paid their special duty [election duty] wages”, the family source added.
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