Ozekhome kidnap: Abductors insist on N100m ransom

Mike Ozekhome

Sources close to the family of the kidnapped human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, have said that the legal luminary has not been released by his abductors due to the family’s inability to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnappers.

Our correspondent learnt that the kidnappers insisted on collecting N100m before they could release the legal luminary.

It was gathered that the kidnappers rejected the money offered to them by Ozekhome’s family, claiming that he had the capability to pay the required ransom.

A family source, who pleaded anonymity reportedly said, “They [the kidnappers] were saying that the lawyer is a very rich man, and N100m should be a ‘chicken change’ to him. They said they were aware that he made so much money from election tribunals’ litigation.”

Meanwhile, the kidnapped All Progressive Congress chief in Edo North, Mr. Athanasius Ugbome, who was kidnapped alongside Ozekhome, was on Sunday set free by the abductors.

His family allegedly paid N10.4m to facilitate his release.

The duo were kidnapped along the Benin-Auchi Road on August 23, before Ugbome regained freedom around 1am at an undisclosed place on Sunday.