THE family of Peace Onyesom, a lawyer recently called to the Nigerian Bar, and her sister, Gift, has revealed that their abductors are demanding ₦40 million for their release.
The sisters were kidnapped on Friday along the Okene–Auchi road while returning to Benin after the Call-to-Bar ceremony held on September 23.
Speaking with newsmen yesterday, their sibling, Adaeze Onyesom, said the kidnappers initially demanded ₦100 million before reducing it to ₦20 million per person.
According to her, the family pleaded that they could only raise ₦7 million, but the abductors rejected the offer.
Adaeze narrated that the family first became aware of the abduction after a man, who identified himself as a policeman, answered Gift’s phone and disclosed that she had been kidnapped.
“The situation has thrown us into distress, and we have been forced to start selling property to raise money,” she said, while appealing to the Federal Government to ensure the safe release of her sisters.
Meanwhile, Force Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin announced via X (formerly Twitter) that of the 12 persons kidnapped during the incident, eight had been rescued in a joint operation with the military.
He assured that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims.
However, Adaeze disputed the police account, saying the passenger manifest showed only eight names and that a police contact in Okene confirmed that no rescue had yet been carried out.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in a statement by its president, Afam Osigwe (SAN), condemned the abduction as “unacceptable and utterly condemnable.”
The NBA urged security agencies to act with urgency to rescue Peace, Gift, and others still in captivity.
This is not the first kidnapping along major highways in the region.
Earlier this year, NYSC member Rofiat Lawal was abducted along the Benin–Ore Expressway before being released after her family reportedly paid ₦1 million.