Kidnappers kill cocoa farmer in Ondo over delayed ransom payment

A 40-year-old cocoa farmer, Akinola Akinnibinu, has been killed by his abductors in Ondo East Local Government Area of Ondo State over delayed ransom payment.

A report by The Nation said the kidnappers killed Akinnibinu and and applied chemical on his corpse.

The body was discovered on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, four days after the abductors contacted his wife to demand ransom.

The kidnappers abducted Akinola on his farm at Oko Oparun and demanded N700,000 ransom.

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The deceased was said to have called his wife and directed her to collect N700,000 from POS machine and bring it to the farm.

Reports said the kidnappers called the victim’s wife to send the man Opay account number.

But the wife alerted Amotekun Corps and other villagers tonthr developments, adding thst the kidnappers had disappeared before getting to the scene.

”My husband left the house in the morning to his farm. He later called me to collect money from the POS near our house. I asked him what he wants to use the money for, he said I should bring it that he will tell me when I get to the farm,” the wife narrated.

”Later, some men used my husband’s number to call me to send the money to an Opay account. They called again that they did not see the money and I told them that I have sent it. They asked me to come to the farm. I was scared and I alerted Amotekun and other villagers. As I was coming with people, they called and said since I have alerted people, that I will see.

”On getting to the place, I did not see them and we left, not until yesterday when villagers called that they saw dead body that was covered with bamboo leaves and there was chemical all over the body. It was my husband”s body.”

Police sources said men from the Igba Division were deployed in the scene where they managed to retrieve the corpse which was deposited at the General Hospital mortuary in Ondo town.