26th March, 2020
Sunshine Stars Skipper, Abe Sunday, has revealed how Enyimba FC and families paid the sum of N2.5m for the release of two footballers, Dayo Ojo and Benjamin Iluyomade.
Dayo Ojo plays for Enyimba Fc while Benjamin Iluyomade plays for Abia Comets.
The two footballers, who were former teammates of the Sunshine Stars FC of Akure, were kidnapped at Ipele town along Benin-Akure Expressway in Owo Local Government Area of the state on Sunday, March 22, 2020.
However, Abe, one of the persons that negotiated and delivered the ransom to the kidnappers, told journalists that Enyimba contributed N1.5m while the families of the victims managed to secure the balance N1m.
He added that the cash was taken to the spot where the kidnappers demanded at Elegbeka after Owo local government.
He noted that he accompanied the two brothers of Dayo, (Femi and Sunday) to deliver the money and secured the release of the two players.
Abe said: “They called us around after 4pm on Wednesday that we should come with the money, at times they asked me to send them recharge card. We tried to speak with them on the financial state of the country.
“We negotiated from N100m to N20m before they finally agreed on N2.5 million. Those people have back up in the Army and the Police. They never asked us to drop the money inside the bush, they met with us one on one.
“They asked me to bring the money before they released them, so I don’t know where police rescued them because I don’t like ‘fake news’ we reached Akure around 1am on Thursday.
“But the most important thing is that both of them are alive and are back with their families.”