Abductors of the Benue State Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Mathew Abo have demanded a N60 million ransom for the release of the Commissioner.
Recall that the kidnappers had abducted the commissioner at his residence in Zaki-Biam, Ukum Local Government Area (LGA) last Sunday.
The armed bandits who had arrived the residence of the Commissioner on four bikes had ordered him to sit on one of the them and rode away to an unknown destination.
The Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia has since condemned the incident and urged security agencies to work towards freeing the Commissioner from the hands of his abductors.
Recently, the tide of criminality in the Sankera axis, particularly, Ukum LGA had risen sharply with an increase in activities of both herdsmen militia as well as local bandits.
In order to press home their demands, the kidnappers have engaged arm-twisting measures, including the torture of their victim to compel the release of the ransom.
Competent sources told our correspondent that the kidnappers had made their demands known when they called a member of the commissioner’s family and disclosed the amount of N60 million ransom.
According to the source who would not want his name in print, the kidnappers
called and placed the phone on speaker, so that as they beat up the commissioner, the family of their victim could hear his cry for help in the background as they tortured him.
