Justina Anochie, a Babcock University graduate, has reportedly been abducted by friends who wanted to make money off her family, Punch reports.
According to the publication, the 27-year-old, who completed her nursing course in May and graduated this June, was abducted on Sunday.
Already, the Ogun State Police Command has arrested a University of Lagos undergraduate who has reportedly been linked to the kidnap. She is currently helping the police with investigations.
Speaking with the press, Anochie’s sister Judith Nze, said the kidnappers demanded N10 million and later asked for N5 million. They refused the family’s offer of N300,000 and have promised to kill the young graduate if their demands are not met.
Here’s what she said:
“[Anochie] has finished her programme in the school and was just waiting for some clearance. I learnt that the place she stays is isolated.
She was taken on Sunday and since then we have all lost our peace. I have stopped going to the office because I can’t concentrate.
Initially, we thought it was a joke until the kidnappers contacted us and demanded N10m as ransom. They later reduced it to N5m.
They have refused the N300,000 we offered them, insisting that they would kill her if we don’t pay the money.
They also said we must withdraw the case from the police as a condition for her release.
My mother spoke with her this morning (Thursday) and she did not sound good. We are afraid they might harm her.
We are just appealing to them to release her.”
Confirming the kidnap case to the press, a police source said that Anochie was kidnapped with the help of an ‘insider’, the female Unilag graduate.
He said:
“It was an organised crime. Based on preliminary investigations, it appeared that her friends conspired against her. It was a set-up.
We believe the kidnappers think that her parents are wealthy and they could make money from them. A female student of a school in Lagos has already been arrested.”
Also, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Muyiwa Adejobi, said,
“The incident happened on Sunday. Immediately we learnt of the abduction, we started investigations. We have already arrested a suspect and investigations are ongoing.”
Anochie was yet to be released as at press time.
