Members of the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Igan, Akure, Ondo State, have been set free on Thursday evening, a week after their abduction.
It was gathered that the victims were released after their families paid a sum of N50m ransom to the abductors.
The victims, who are choristers of the church, were kidnapped at Elegbeka area in Ose Local Government Area of the state, while travelling to Ifon, along Benin-Akure Expressway last Friday, by some gunmen who stopped their vehicle at the bad portion of the expressway.
The gunmen had forcefully ushered them into the forest where they (victims) spent seven days.
Eight out of the 19 church members, however, escaped from the kidnappers while the remaining 11 were released after paying N50m as ransom to secure their freedom.
According to a family source, the victims were released at the same Elegbeka area in the midnight on Thursday, where they were kidnapped last week
The source said, “They were released at Elegbeka area, the same area they were picked on Thursday night, after which they were taken to the Ipele Police Station, and from there, they were taken to Akure by the police today (Friday).”
Confirming the ransom payment, the source explained, “The guys (abductors) have been negotiating with the family of the victims for some days and they insisted that they would collect N50m ransom on all of them.
“The family initially took N30m to them early this week; they collected it but didn’t release them. They insisted that the money must be completed before they would release them.”
Speaking, the Regional Superintendent of the CAC, Odubanjo Region, Pastor Benjamin Akande, expressed gratitude to God for the release of the victims, saying most of the victims were tired and looked frail.
He said they were taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Ondo State House of Assembly led the state Deputy Speaker, Abayomi Akinruntan, on Friday, visited the church, describing the incident as unfortunate.
