Gunmen have kidnapped M.A. Mustapha, a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), along with two other individuals in Lokoja, Kogi State. Mustapha, who is a member of the NBA Oleh branch, was taken by the assailants to an undisclosed location.

Sources told News Reporters that the gunmen made contact with the wife of another victim, Ezikiah Grifits, on Friday morning and demanded a ransom of N60 million for the release of the three captives. “The kidnappers contacted Ezikiah’s wife and his brother, Timothy, using Ezikiah’s phone,” a source revealed.

The kidnappers initially demanded N60 million for the three hostages—M.A. Mustapha, Ezikiah Grifits, and John Otuloho—during a phone call on Thursday at around 5 p.m. They later reduced the amount to N40 million on Friday morning. However, when Ezikiah’s brother offered just N1 million, the call abruptly ended, and there has been no further contact since.

A source also mentioned that attempts to reach Mustafa’s phone were unsuccessful. “When I tried calling Mustafa’s number this morning, it rang but he didn’t answer, and when I called again, the phone was switched off,” the source added.

As of the time of writing, efforts to obtain a comment from the Kogi State Police Command had not been successful. The situation remains tense as the families await further communication from the kidnappers.

In this article