Joel Nwankwo, the traditional ruler of Isiala Umudi in Imo State’s Nkwerre Local Government Area, has escaped his kidnappers.
According to a source close to the monarch, the monarch escaped from Okwu forest in the state’s Ikeduru LGA, where he had been kidnapped.
The monarch, who was abducted last Friday in front of his office on Tetlow Road in Owerri, the state capital, has been reunited with his family, according to the source.
His kidnappers had called his family 48 hours after his abduction and demanded N200 million in ransom.
The source said his abductors had reduced the ransom to N12m before he “miraculous” escaped from the den of the kidnappers on Tuesday.
The source said, “By the grace of God His Royal Highness has escaped from the den of his kidnappers. He took the advantage of the lapses of his abductors at Okwu forest in Ikeduru Local Government Area to run away. By the grace of God help came his way in the process and he is home now.
“They had made a demand of N200m and later reduced it to N12m before he miraculously escaped. His two phones are with them.”
The spokesperson for the police in the state, Micheal Abattam, had yet to respond to the inquiry concerning the development.