After staying more than a week in the kidnappers’ den, abductors of Gbalipre Turner, father of the Chairman of Ogbia Local Government Area have demanded a 300 million Naira ransom for his release.
A close family source who spoke in confidence to reporters said the kidnappers established contact with the family and stated their terms before the septuagenarian would be allowed to go back to his family.
The family source said they were able to establish proof of life, as the victim was allowed to talk to his son, Ebinyo Turner, the Ogbia Local Government Area Chairman.
It was gathered that the 73-year-old man complained bitterly to his son that he was not been treated well by his abductors, a scenario further worsened by the fact that he was ill and on medication when he was kidnapped.
Meanwhile, stakeholders from the Ogbia Council have expressed disappointment with the security systems in the state.
They particularly pointed at the ease with which the kidnappers carried out the operation, taking him from his Yenagoa apartment, beating various checkpoints before taking him to a waterfront at Onuebum in Ogbia Council Area and afterward to an unknown destination.
Gbalipre Turner, a retiree was abducted at his Samphino Road residence in Yenagoa, two days after a major building materials trader was whisked away by hoodlums.
The Bayelsa State Police Command said an investigation is ongoing on both cases.