Some residents of Ondo State on Tuesday took to the streets of Akure, demanding urgent action over the abduction of nine surveyors at Ilu-Abo in Akure South Local Government Area of the State.
It was gathered that the victims were reportedly on a job site when they were seized by armed men last week.
The demonstration saw placard-wielding women blocking the busy Oba Adesida Road, disrupting traffic as they called on security agencies to secure the release of the kidnapped victims.
One of the protesters, Comfort Afolabi, whose brother is among the abducted surveyors, said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million as a condition to begin negotiations but later raised the ransom to N100 million.
“We have been pleading with them, but they insist they won’t release our loved ones unless we pay the full amount. We are helpless and need the government to intervene,” she lamented.
The latest abduction adds to the growing wave of kidnappings in Ondo State.
Last week, a farmer and his manager were abducted while returning from their farm in Osi, Oba Ile area.
Reacting to the situation, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, acknowledged the security challenges facing the state but admitted that the command was struggling with inadequate logistics to combat rising criminal activities.
“The issue of kidnapping is a serious concern, and we are doing everything within our capacity to address it. However, we need better resources to strengthen our operations,” Afolabi said.
