The family of five kidnapped by gunmen on November 1, 2025 at Ivianokpodi, Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, regained their freedom after allegedly paying a ransom of N15 million.
DIARIO POST reported that the victims, all members of the Bello family, were kidnapped while working on their farm.
The victims, aged between 10 and 25, were identified as Nurudeen Bello, Waheed Bello, Haruna Bello, Usena Bello and Matilda Bello.
A local source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “They (the victims) went to the farm to work. The armed men broke into the farm while they were working, kidnapped them and took them into the bush.”
He added that the kidnappers initially demanded N100 million, but on November 6 they reduced it to N15 million.
“However, the ransom was paid on Friday, November 7 and they were released on Saturday morning, November 8, 2025. The kidnappers also demanded other items such as food, drinks and hard drugs worth N300,000,” he alleged.
The source, however, said he did not know whether the incident was reported to the police.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the command was not aware of the incident as it was not reported.