At least eight people, including a female spiritual leader and four local farmers, were abducted by suspected kidnappers in Ohebe Orba, a community in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, on Wednesday night.
Sources confirmed that the priestess was heading to a river with three followers for a spiritual ritual when they were intercepted by the assailants.
Initially, the abductors demanded a ransom of N50 million from the families of the victims but later reduced their demand to N15 million.
Senator Okey Ezea, representing the Enugu North Senatorial District, expressed concern over the growing insecurity in the region, stating that “Fulani herdsmen and kidnappers have taken over Enugu North, including Nsukka.”
Coincidentally, 15 individuals who had previously been kidnapped from Ibagwa Agu farm settlement in Nsukka were released on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
Just days earlier, on April 12, gunmen believed to be kidnappers had taken 13 residents hostage in the Ibagwa Agu community, including Maurice Osmond, his child, and another minor.
A ransom of N10 million was reportedly demanded for each of the captives.
According to media personality Chijinkem Ugwuanyi, one of the victims, Osmond, had returned to his hometown with his son for entrance exams at St. John’s Secondary School when they were kidnapped en route to visit his in-laws.
The frequent abductions have triggered fear among locals, many of whom are now urging for heightened security measures across Enugu State.
The police have launched several crackdowns on kidnappers in the state. In one such operation in October 2024, officers stormed a kidnap hideout, killing two suspects and rescuing a victim.
Efforts to get a comment from the Enugu Police spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, were unsuccessful as he was unreachable at the time of reporting.