The kidnapped female member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Faith Onoriode, who was abducted along Kaduna-Abuja road alongside other travellers, has regained freedom.
According to a report by Daily Post, her relatives paid N2 million cash, a motorbike, five new Tecno smartphones and N100,000 recharge card as ransom.
The bandits had blocked the notorious Kaduna-Abuja road on March 21, 2022, and kidnapped the road users.
Among them were the Biology/Microbiology graduate of the Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe, Oghara, who was posted to the orientation camp in Jigawa State.
Few days after her abduction, the gunmen called her relatives to pay ransom.
However, after negotiations, they agreed to provide N2m cash, five brand new techno phones, a new motorcycle and recharge card of N100,000.
Confirming her release, her brother, Festus Onoriode said her sister was freed on Sunday, May 29, and is currently undergoing medical attention.
Festus explained that the abductors gave them specification of the motorbike and the telephone, adding that they also sent them airtime worth one hundred thousand naira.
He thanked Almighty God that the sister was not raped, adding that they went as far as Lagos State to get the bike because it was not sold in Kaduna.
According to him, for them to deliver the ransom and motorcycle to the kidnappers, they had to pay N300,000 for service delivery.
“We paid two million naira, one hundred thousand naira recharge card which they split into fifty thousand naira MTN and fifty thousand naira Airtel that we sent. They also demanded a motorbike and five phones. They gave the specification of the motorcycle and the phone. They said the motorbike is not sold in Kaduna, it is in Lagos.
“We bought the bike and added the five tecno phones. When we told them we were ready with the bike, they advised us to arrange for escort to take it to a spot. And the escort took three hundred thousand naira to do this.
“It was God. We went round churches for prayers while my sister was in the custody of the kidnappers. She was released around 6:30 to 7pm last Sunday. It was the Lord’s doing. People had paid money and they didn’t see their relative.
“It was God that released her. We are thanking God for all He did. She is in the hospital in Kaduna. We also thank security agencies in Kaduna for all they did for us. It was not easy raising the ransom. People assisted us. We thank God she came out.
“I don’t have any choice but to still thank the kidnappers for releasing my sister. When we hear what people pay up north to be released, we are grateful to them for keeping their promise,” he said.
