Gunmen kidnap five female footballers and club owner in Edo, demand N30m ransom

Mrs Precious Agbajor

Gunmen have kidnapped five grassroots female footballers and owner of Itugbe Queens football club, Precious Agbajor in Uronigbe, Orhiomwon Local Government Area of Edo State. 

The victims were kidnapped at the border town between Edo and Delta State while returning from a football tournament at Owa-Alero in the Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State on Friday, August 12, 2022. 

A source from the locality, who confirmed the incident, said that the abductors had contacted the families of the victims, demanding a sum of N5m ransom each for the victims.

“They (footballers) went to Owa-Alero to play a football match. On their way back, they were kidnapped at the Uronigbe area, the boundary between Delta and Edo states,” the source disclosed.

“The victims include Mrs Precious Agbajor, one Abraham, Nancy, Beatrice, and the driver. They are six in number that are in the kidnapper’s den. The matter has been reported to Uronigbe police station. The kidnappers have contacted the family of Agbajor and asked them to pay N5 million for his wife”, the source added.

Spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed the kidnapping incident, adding that the abduction happened in Edo. 

But his Edo State counterpart, Chidi Nwabuzor, when contacted, said from the record available at the State Command, that there was no information about the incident. 

“You know, we transmit our records to Force Headquarters everyday. There is no record of that before us. From the Command’s record, no such incident happened yesterday (Friday), so the police will not give an account of anything unreported.” said Nwabuzor.