A prominent cashew farmer and community leader of the agrarian community of Aghara in the Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Chief David Obadofin, who was kidnapped on Easter Sunday has reportedly died in the kidnappers’ den.
He was said to have died last Thursday, 12 days after he was kidnapped.
A woman kidnapped alongside him, Temidayo Elewa, has however been set free.
She was freed at Obajana in Lokoja Local Government Area of the state from where family members picked her up on Saturday morning for medical attention.
A source involved in the negotiation told journalists that when the abductors noticed that Pa. Obadofin was becoming too weak, so they agreed to collect N2m for the release of the two victims and started mounting pressure for the payment.
Meanwhile, they blindfolded Temidayo and separated her to a different location. Unfortunately, Pa Obadofin died before the ransom could be delivered.
Conscious of the advance of a search group, made up of hunters, vigilantes and some Fulani volunteers, the gunmen set Temidayo free on Thursday.
She roamed the jungle alone from Thursday to Friday before she met a sawing machine operator, who eventually led her to freedom.
Her claims that the search party nabbed one of the suspects who helped in efforts to recover Pa Obadofin’s corpse could not be ascertained.
“We saw the lady and took her to hospital. We picked her up in a village behind Obajana. As for Baba, we know he is dead but we are still combing the jungle for his remains.
“We will not let go because we are confident that God will guide our efforts to the root of this disaster. We will not let go or give up,” an anonymous source involved in the operations said.
Obadofin and Temidayo were abducted on Easter Monday from his farm residence in Aghara at 11pm. The gunmen shot Madam Toyin Onare, a widow who was on the farm as a labourer.
Toyin was rushed to the hospital in Kabba, about 35 minutes drive away, where she was confirmed dead on arrival.
There were concerns about Obadofin’s chances of survival as he was said to be on medication for age-related diseases aside from the trauma and rough treatment he received from the gunmen.
The gunmen made contact the following day, demanding N60m ransom. The late chief allegedly said the gunmen fed them with roasted yam.
Contacted, the public relations officer of Kogi State Police Command, SP William Aya, said that he was not aware of the death of the farmer but promised to find out and get back to our correspondent.
He, however, had not done so as of the time of filing this report.