Killers of Kogi commissioner demand N100m ransom for kidnapped LG chair

The kidnappers of the Chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, Mr Pius Kolawole, have demanded N100 million ransom before he can regain his freedom.

Our correspondent learnt from a reliable source that the kidnappers put a call through to the secretary of the local government late Sunday as well as one of the family members of the chairman to demand the ransom.

Although they were said to have promised to call in the early hours of Monday to continue with the terms of negotiation, they couldn’t do so until around 10.00 am.

The source said that the kidnappers had also contacted the Kogi State Chairman of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Mr Taofik Isah who doubles as Chairman of Ijumu Local Government Area on the need to hasten the negotiation.

Our correspondent learnt that the family and the council authorities had agreed to allow the ALGON chairman to continue the negotiation with the kidnappers on their behalf.

Kolawole was kidnapped on Saturday evening while returning from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital to his home in Egbe, the border town between Kogi and Kwara States with the state pension commissioner.

The attack claimed the life of the State Commissioner for Pension Board, Solomon Adebayo, popularly called Akeweje who was in the same vehicle with the chairman while the driver is currently receiving treatment in a hospital in Egbe for the wounds sustained during the attack.

However, the kidnappers did not touch the four yearold-son of late Akeweje, who was in the vehicle at the time of the attack.