Suspected kidnappers of an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff in Akwa Ibom State have reduced their ransom demand to N.5million.
Otobong Sylvester Ukpong was abducted last week by armed bandits at Uruk Ata 2 along the Ekparakwa-Azumini road on his way to work.
A family source said abductors who had earlier demanded for N10 million had reduced the amount to N.5 million.
“We insisted we can only afford N.2million,” the source added.
Another member of the family confirmed on phone that “negotiation to release the victim is ongoing.”
“In the last discussion we had with them through my brother’s (Otobong’s) phone, the militants had reduced the initial N10 million to N.5 million and we are still negotiating to what we can afford,” he stated.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, said a combined security operatives comprising the police, Navy, soldiers and the Department of State Services (DSS), had since been deployed to track down the kidnappers.