Kidnappers of Anambra businessman demand N1.5bn ransom

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By Madu Obi

Kidnappers of Anambra billionaire and oil magnet, Chief Sir Joseph Ezeokafor, Managing Director of JEZCO Oil, have reportedly increased their random demand to N1.5 billion after initially asking the family to pay N700 million.

A source close to the family said the kidnappers finally established contact with the family after nearly one week of incommunicado following Ezeokafor’s abduction.

It was gathered that the kidnappers initially demanded N700 million, a figure which the victim’s family reportedly accepted to pay to secure their father’s release, only for the kidnappers to subsequently raise their demand to N1.5 billion.

The source said the family had remained willing to negotiate with the abductors, lamenting that the kidnappers had since stopped further engagement with the family.

It was gathered that the development had left the family in a difficult position as efforts to reopen communication with the abductors had reportedly not yielded results.

A source close to the family said: "I have just been informed by a close associate of the kidnapped Jezco chief, Chief Sir Joseph Ezeokafor, that the kidnappers have established contact with the family and demanded a ransom.

"According to the information I received, the kidnappers initially demanded N700 million, a demand which his son accepted. However, the kidnappers subsequently changed their demand to N1.5 billion.

"That is where the matter currently stands. The family has been willing to negotiate, but the kidnappers have since refused to engage further.

"I am sharing this additional information because it provides important context to the circumstances surrounding Chief Ezeokafor’s abduction and the apparent silence that had previously surrounded the case."

The latest revelation also provides fresh details on the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the Jezco chief, which had attracted considerable concern among his associates and members of the community.

The Anambra State Police Command is yet to make official statement on Chief Ezeokafor's abduction and the reported ransom demand.

Circumstances surrounding the kidnap of Chief Ezeokafor have remained unclear. According to one unverified account, the Chief, an ardent Catholic, was kidnapped at a religious ground where he had gone to pray without his security aides accompanying him.