Taye Ajoke, a National Diploma student at the Nasarawa State-owned Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia, who was abducted on Monday, has been released from captivity. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of N300,000 for her freedom.
The incident unfolded when heavily armed assailants, firing indiscriminately, attacked her residence in Ombi 1, located two kilometres away from the Polytechnic. They forcibly took her to an undisclosed location, leaving two other students and an admission seeker wounded from gunfire.
In an interview on Thursday, Ekom Ayaka, the President of the Student Union Government of the polytechnic, disclosed that the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million as ransom. However, they later reduced their demand to N500,000 when it became apparent that Ajoke’s family and well-wishers could not meet the initial request.
After numerous appeals to the kidnappers for a further reduction in the ransom amount, they agreed to release her in exchange for N300,000.
Ayaka stated, “We express our gratitude to divine intervention for securing Ajoke’s release from the bandits. She regained her freedom at approximately 7 pm local time on Wednesday, following the payment of a N300,000 ransom.”
He added, “Initially, the kidnappers had insisted on N50 million, but they eventually reconsidered and lowered the amount to N500,000 upon realizing that her family and friends were unable to raise such a substantial sum. However, after persistent pleas to them, they instructed her family to provide the sum of N300,000, which was in their possession. This marked her release from captivity.