Herdsmen Kidnap Former Divisional Police Officer In Edo State, Demand N25m Ransom

A former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and Superintendent, James Omafuaire, has been kidnapped along with his wife and a customer at his Ikpeshi quarry site in Akoko Edo Local Government Area, Edo State.

The retired police officer is an octogenarian and a native of Akperhe-Olomu in Ughelli South LGA of the state. His younger brother, Akpokona Omafuaire, is a senior photojournalist at Vanguard Newspaper.

Mr. Omafuaire, SaharaReporters reliably learned, was kidnapped along with his wife, Victoria Omafuaire, and a customer at the site, but his wife was released shortly after her kidnapping.
Our correspondent gathered that the kidnappers have established contact with the victim's son, Charles Omafuaire, and have demanded a ransom of N25 million.

Confirming the N25 million ransom, a family member of the victim, Christy Omafuaire Atie, said "Pa James Omafuaire was supervising his workers at his quarry site in Ikpeshi near Auchi when the Fulani herdsmen with guns kidnapped him, his wife and a customer.”

She said that the kidnapping has caused severe panic in the family and she urged the police to rescue her father or to appeal to the kidnappers to lower their ransom demand.