A pastor of the Methodist Church, Very Rev Kayode Akande, and two other church members, who were kidnapped on Sunday night, at a town called Telemu, along Iwo-Osogbo road, in Osun State by suspected Fulani herdsmen have been set free. The Methodist Bishop of Osogbo diocese, Rt. Revd. Amos Ogunrinde confirmed this to DAILY POST on Friday, saying that Akande, alongside two other brethren, namely: Mr. Bankole, who is an engineer and Mr. Omodunbi were released on Thursday by the suspected Fulani herdsmen.
He said the abductees suffered serious torture in the hands of their abductors before they eventually regained their freedom.
He adduced their release to an invisible hands of God through prayers from the church and many others who shared in their grief.
The clergy, however, remained silent on whether ransom was paid to secure the release of his members, saying he could neither confirm nor deny it.
“I can confirm it to you that the pastor and two other members who were kidnapped have been released on Thursday night, we are happy to receive them alive.
“Although they were seriously beaten, yet we thank God for their life.
“On whether ransom was paid or not, I can’t definitely say anything on it, it is the Treasurer of the church that is in charge of finance, mine is strictly spiritual.
DAILY POST, however, gathered from a reliable source within the church hierarchy that ransom was paid in millions to secure the release of those individuals from their abductors.
“The kidnappers first demanded for N20m(Twenty Million Naira) but the leadership of the church, with the help from our headquarters later appealed to them and eventually settled at N5m(Five million naira)”.
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