By Kamil Opeyemi
Gunmen who killed a traditional ruler and kidnapped his wife and one other person have reduced the N100m ransom placed on the abducted victims to N40 million.
The traditional ruler, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, who was the Olukoro of Koro-Ekiti in the Ekiti Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara, was murdered in his palace on Thursday night.
The kidnappers had on Sunday contacted the king’s family for a N100 million ransom payment.
His wife and another person were at the same time abducted by the assailants.
Speaking with newsmen late Sunday, Mr. Kehinde Bayode, Chairman of the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) in the Ekiti Local Government Council of Kwara, also said a suspect has been apprehended.
He said the suspect was arrested in Eruku town in the Ekiti LGA on Sunday.
While speaking on efforts made to free the abducted wife of the monarch and the other person, Bayode said: “The kidnappers had got in touch with the family.
”They were demanding N100 million ransom, which has now been reduced to N40 million.
“But we are still negotiating with them and right now, I’m on my way to Koro to get the latest information on the negotiation.
“We will continue to brief you (journalists) as the situation unfolds and we will keep you posted,” he had said late on Sunday.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Kwara, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, did not confirm the arrest of any suspect.
She said rather that no arrest had been made in connection with the incident.
“The Commissioner of Police has deployed a tactical team to Koro-Ekiti to fish out the perpetrators.
“Policemen are working with other security agencies to free those that were abducted during the kidnapping incident.
“No arrest has been made yet. We are going to keep you abreast of developments as they unfold,” she said.