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Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has revealed that about 400 victims of kidnapping in the South West paid nothing less than N3 billion ransom to their abductors in the last two years.
Adams stated this in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at the fourth edition of the South West Security Stakeholders Group Conference.
Adams revelation means an average of N5million was paid by each of the victim in the last 24 months.
The Yoruba generalissimo also said over 200 lives had been lost to kidnapping in the region within the two years under review.
The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) leader explained that he was always receiving first-hand information about kidnapping incidents in any part of the South West.
He said: “As the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, I am privy to some certain information that certain security organisations do not have. When things happen in any community, they will call my line that, ‘Aare, what can you do?’
“Unfortunately, I don’t have enough power to act like the olden days Aare, but I am doing my own bit as a person that has a liberation organisation.’’
Adams who regretted that the region has been ravaged by killer herdsmen, stated that if Yoruba leaders failed to act, the region might record huge insecurity challenges like the North.