•Jezco
Residents of Anambra State have raised fresh concerns following an alleged demand for N1.5 billion ransom by the kidnappers of billionaire businessman, Chief Sir Joseph Ezeokafor.
Ezeokafor, owner of Jezco Group of Companies, was abducted last week and is still being held by his abductors; security agencies have yet to make an official statement on the development, reports The Nation.
It was gathered that the kidnappers initially demanded N700 million, which the family was reportedly prepared to pay to secure Ezeokafor’s release before the abductors allegedly increased the ransom to N1.5 billion.
A resident of one of the communities close to Ezeokafor’s home, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed concern over what he described as the slow response of security agencies to the incident.
The resident said that rather than intensifying efforts to rescue the businessman, the police had been engaging stakeholders.
“This kidnapping issue has started again because Christmas is fast approaching, and nobody can tell whether we are to blame some of the security operatives, especially the local ones, in such an arrangement.
“The federal government is talking about state police; is this what we are going to face when it materialises? The Jezco kidnapping has really heightened tension in Anambra again,” he said.
A source close to the family also confirmed that the kidnappers had established contact with the family after the abduction.
According to the source, the abductors initially demanded N700 million, a figure the family reportedly accepted as part of efforts to secure Ezeokafor’s release.
“The kidnappers initially demanded N700 million, a figure which the victim’s family reportedly accepted as part of efforts to secure their father’s release, but the new demand of N1.5 billion is what many people do not understand,” the source said.
The source said the family remained willing to negotiate with the abductors but expressed concern that the kidnappers had since stopped further communication.
Ezeokafor, an oil magnate from Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, is the owner of Jezco Group of Companies. His son is also a prominent figure with an international profile.
The Anambra State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement on the reported ransom demand.
The Command’s spokesperson, Superintendent Tochukwu Ikenga, did not respond to enquiries by The Nation as his phone message platform showed him as unavailable.
Meanwhile, the newly deployed Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnanna Oji, has continued his tour of police formations across the state and engagements with stakeholders in the three senatorial districts — Anambra North, Anambra Central and Anambra South — as part of efforts to address insecurity.
