Six people, including players and officials from a grassroots female team, were reportedly kidnapped by gunmen in Uronigbe, a border community between Edo and Delta states in Edo State’s Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
Sources revealed that the six victims were abducted around 6 p.m. on Friday while returning from a game at Owa-Alero in Delta State’s Ika North-East Local Government Area.
According to a community source, the kidnappers contacted some families and demanded N5 million in ransom for each of the victims.
He said, “They (footballers) went to Owa-Alero to play a football match, but on their way back, they were kidnapped at Uronigbe area, the boundary between Delta and Edo.
“The victims include Mrs Precious Agbajor, one Abraham, Nancy, Beatrice, the driver and one other person. They are six in number that are in the kidnapper’s den. The matter has been reported at the Uronigbe police station.
“The kidnappers have contacted the family of Agbajor and asked them to pay N5m for his wife.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Delta State, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed the kidnap, adding that the incident happened in Edo State.
His Edo State counterpart, Chidi Nwabuzor, said from the records available at the State Command, there was no information on the incident.
“You know we transmit our records to Force Headquarters everyday. There is no such record before us. From the Command’s record, no such incident happened , so the police will not give account of anything unreported.
“It is only when an incident is reported that the police can act on it. In most cases, citizens are not aware of the powers to report incidents. So the record I have from the Command is that no such incident happened.”