The kidnappers of Ubulu-Uku monarch, Akaeze Ofulue III, have allegedly abandoned the N100m ransom said to have been paid by family members to free the monarch.
It would be recalled that the kidnapped traditional ruler of Ubulu-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, Obi Agbogidi Akaeze Ofulue, was reported dead on Friday following his kidnap a few weeks ago between Igbodo and Obior area of the state after persons suspected to be Fulani herdsmen intercepted his car, a Toyota Land Cruiser.
According to residents of the community, the kidnappers had demanded N100m ransom two days after the monarch was kidnapped, and had threatened to commit an abominable act if the money was not paid within 24 hours of their contact.
The anonymous residents told The Punch that the kidnappers, however, abandoned the money because they were out to kill the monarch.
They said, “Ubulu-Uku community might not recover from the shock of the dastardly killing of our monarch in the next few years, even if the perpetrators of the evil act are uncovered.”
Reports say the kidnappers allegedly disguised as Fulani herdsmen, while an insider, believed to be an indigene of the community, was said to have aided them.
Ofulue III, a lawyer and a member of the Deeper Life Christian Ministry, was driving with a young pastor of the church, who also served as one of his aides, in a Landcruiser on Obior/Igbodo Road when the abductors struck at a bad portion of the road.
Sources said the pastor, who was kidnapped with the monarch, managed to escape from the kidnappers’ den a day after their abduction.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the pastor on his arrival in the community broke the news. He added that by the time the villagers mobilised to rescue the king, he had been taken away by his abductors.
“We are making frantic efforts to invite witch doctors to uncover those behind the killing of our monarch; we have resolved to fish out his killers.
“We know there are insiders involved in the kidnap, hence the reason they abandoned the N100m ransom,” the resident noted.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Aikali Usman, said, “We are working hard to fish out the killers of the monarch and we will not relent until they are brought to book.
“The kidnapers did not take the N100m ransom; they abandoned it in the bush and the family has taken it back,” Usman added.
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