THE Nasarawa State Police Command has announced the release of the former deputy governor of Nasarawa State, Prof Onje Gye-Wado.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Ramhan Nansel, confirmed Prof Gye-Wado’s release Monday morning stating that the former deputy governor spent two days in captivity before his release on Sunday night, following sustained pressure from a search and rescue team.
Prof Gye-Wado was abducted in the morning of Friday, April 7, 2023 when gunmen broke into his residence in Gwagi Village in Wamba LGA of Nasarawa State.
The police disclosed that a search had been initiated by a police tactical team in collaboration with other security personnel to rescue the deputy governor unhurt.
Prof Gye-Wado was deputy governor of Nasarawa State between 1999 and 2003 in the administration of Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu.
The PPRO said no arrest has been made, adding that the police was not aware of any ransom paid before the release. According to him, Prof Gye-Wado was released due to sustained pressure mounted on the kidnappers by a combined team of security agencies.
However, Punch newspaper reported that Prof Gye-Wado’s family members paid a ransom of about N4 million to his abductors before releasing him.
According to the newspaper, the kidnappers had earlier placed a ransom of N70 million for his release while his family members had pleaded with N2 million due to the unavailability of cash occasioned by the Easter holiday.
Quoting a family source, the paper stated that the insistence of the gunmen to collect a higher amount of money, made the family members of the professor to increase the ransom to about N4 million before he was released.
“They collected the ransom of about N4 million near Mada Hills Secondary School in Akwanga LGA, with N200 recharge card, then he was released on Sunday night near Angwan Chiyawa, close to those hills between Akwanga and Nasarawa Eggon LGA.
“After his release, Prof Gye-Wado was taken to the palace of the paramount ruler of Wamba, who is the Oriye Rindre, Justice Lawal Musa Nagogo, where he reunited with other members of his community,” the source added.
