The seven people who were kidnapped on Wednesday night in Enugu State's Nrobo, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, were liberated on Friday after the alleged kidnappers demanded N500,000 from the affected families.
Initial demands for a N30,000,000 ransom were made by the alleged kidnappers, who are still at large. Later demands were reduced to N500,000.
According to information obtained by news organisations, the abductees were in a cab travelling from Nsukka to Abbi through the Nrobo community when gunmen stopped the car at a forested bypass and ordered the passengers to get out before robbing them.
One of the abductees is currently undergoing medical care at an unidentified hospital in Enugu, according to a member of the affected family who spoke to newsmen on the condition of anonymity.
A traditional leader from the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area who also begged for anonymity believed that certain locals were working with outside criminals to kidnap the victims and hold them for ransom.
Although he claimed that the council area's security is being prioritised by local government chairman Chukwudi Nnadozie, he advocated for increased cooperation between neighbourhood watch organisations and other security personnel.
It was gathered that the road where this incident happened has become the flashpoint for robbery, kidnapping, and other criminal activities in recent times. A few months ago, three persons were also allegedly abducted along the same road. They were said to have been released after an undisclosed amount was paid as ransom.
A source also revealed that in May 2022, a husband and wife coming back from the farm were also allegedly abducted by gunmen. Though the husband escaped, newsmen learnt that a huge sum of money was paid before the wife could be released. This was coming two weeks after a teenage girl coming back from Nrobo to Nsukka was equally allegedly raped to death at the same axis.