Taiwo Akinyemi, a senior staff member of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo state, who was kidnapped alongside three other medical officers of the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, last week Tuesday, has reportedly been gruesomely murdered, a Vanguard report has shown.
While the two others, a pregnant doctor, Jumoke Aiyeku, and a nurse of the medical centre have been released, Akinyemi was found dead even after payment of the N500,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers.
But surprisingly, the money for his ransom was still intact after Akinyemi’s corpse was found by a farmer in his farmland. This was suggestive that his abductors might have killed him because they could not find the money where it was dropped by the institution who negotiated for his release.
Academic activities were grounded in the institution following the discovery of his corpse on Sunday as security operatives notified the management of the institution. The second semester examination was postponed abruptly as the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics SSANIP, lecturers and students embarked on a procession round the institution, mourning the gruesome murder of Akinyemi.
Vanguard reports that the kidnappers tied the 52 year old to a tree and used his clothe to tie him before shooting him. The kidnappers also machetted him gruesomely. Four persons, including the deceased, were kidnapped on Tuesday while returning from work at Amurin village, along the Akure/ Owo expressway.
While the three others have regained their freedom after payment of ransom, the negotiation for the deceased lingered as the kidnappers initially asked for N100m ransom which nobody could raise but later reduced it to N7m and finally grudgingly lowered it to N500,000.
Speaking with newsmen, the SSANIP, Chris Olowolade, said the corpse of Akinyemi was recovered on Sunday after it was discovered in the thick forest by security operatives who were informed by the owner of the farm where he was tied to a tree and killed.
Olowolade added that “Since the kidnap, there had been negotiation on how to release him. The kidnappers placed a ransom of N100m on him. They later, after two days, reduced it to N7m.
“They later, grudgingly, asked us to bring N500,000. The money was taken to them and the person who took it there was directed to drop it somewhere which he did.
“They asked him to stop, reverse and move just to confirm that he is actual person bringing the money and to be sure he was alone.
“After some hours, they asked him to come back that they could not find the money where he dropped it.
“But, unfortunately, at about 6pm on Sunday, the Acting Rector of the institution called me to accompany the institution’s Chief security officer to go to the FMC morgue to identify a corpse suspected to be that of Akinyemi.
“We later identified that the deceased was Akinyemi. We were told that the corpse was recovered by the police and deposited at the morgue.
“He was maltreated, shot by his side and matchetted at his back. We however recovered back the N500,000 ransom taken to them.
“We suspect that maybe Akinyemi died in their hands before the ransom was taken to them. The institution’s ASUP chairman, Rafiu ljawoye, described the gruesome murder of Akinyemi as unfortunate and pathetic and pleaded with the state government to fortify the road in a bid to reduce incidences of kidnapping to the nearest minimum.”
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