Lagos Monarch: Kidnappers demand N500 million ransom
Kidnappers of the Oniba of Ibaland in Lagos have demanded N500 million in ransom.
The king’s family revealed this on Friday.
74-year-old Yushau Oseni was abducted from his palace a little before midnight on July 16.
The kidnappers, reports say, contacted the family on the 20th of June.
The traditional ruler’s daughter and a former chairperson of Iba Local Government Area, Mrs Ramota Oseni, said the family didn’t initially make the demand public for security reasons.
She added that the family had negotiated with the abductors to pay N40 million even though they (the family) don’t have that much money.
She said they had contacted the state government to support with funds to secure the monarch’s release.
“I immediately called the commissioner to inform him of the development and to get across to the state government.
“But subsequent calls to his phone since then were unanswered and he did not get back to us either,’’ she said.
Meanwhile the Lagos state police boss, Fatai Owoseni, told newsmen in a telephone interview that making the ransom public wasn’t advisable as it would encourage kidnappers.
He said investigation was ongoing to rescue the monarch, and that he couldn’t disclose their efforts so far so as not to jeopardise the rescue mission..
