CONFIRMED: Kidnappers of Lagos monarch received N15.1m ransom

Isaiah Ododem, one of the nine suspected kidnappers of Goriola Oseni, the Oniba of Iba, has confessed to receiving a N15.1 million ransom in two batches.

Suspects speaking with the media

 Speaking in Lagos on Sunday when he was paraded before journalists, Ododem said that they received an initial ransom of N12 million and a subsequent ransom of N3.1 million. However, he did not reveal the identities of those who made the payments.

Ododem also told newsmen that he and others were into illegal bunkering before they kidnapped Oseni. “We had to stop the business because of the renewed onslaught of government’s security agencies against us, he said.

Four days after Oseni was kidnapped, his assailants asked his family members to pay them a N500m ransom, but they eventually settled for a far lesser figure.

Similarly, Saheed Oseni, son of the monarch, confirmed that a ransom was paid, but he did not say the exact amount.  “We paid an undisclosed amount for his ransom, which the family sourced without the involvement of the Lagos state government‎,” he said. 

Saheed, who is also the chairman of Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), Lagos State University (LASU) chapter, said the traditional ruler returned through the waterways around Iba expressway. “My father said the kidnappers put him in a canoe and asked him to paddle it to the other side of the river‎, which he did,” he said. “On getting to the other side of the road and confirming ‎the location from passersby, he discovered that he was on Iba expressway and that was how he found his way home.”

The prince said the family was grateful to God for the release and safe return of the traditional ruler. Oseni said the family also thanked the Police and other security agencies for their efforts which led to his release.

The 74-year -old monarch, who celebrated the 40th anniversary of his coronation in November 2015, was abducted from his palace at Iba ‎on July 16.