The 72-year-old retired principal, Pa Sunday Fess, has died in the abductors’ den 12 days after he was abducted from his country home at the riverside town of Finibiri in Boma East, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State by unknown gunmen, after the family had paid ransom.
Though the cause of death of the septuagenarian at the kidnappers den could not be immediately ascertained, family sources said the deceased was hypertensive and on medication when he was abducted.
The kidnappers were said to have collected an undisclosed sum from their victim’s family, who believed he was alive, only for the family to meet his corpse at the kidnappers’ den. According to a source, the family met the corpse of the victim around Azaama, a border area between Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor council area.
Thre kidnappers, it was learned, had demanded for millions of naira, but later reduced same to N500,000 and further reduced it again as the family insisted they could not raise such money.
They also demanded that the ransom be brought to them with a drum of fuel, warning that security agencies should not be involved if the family wanted to see the victim alive.
It was, however, gathered that as the emissary arrived with the ransom and other items, the kidnappers collected everything, pointed guns at them and then showed them the corpse.
The source said: “They even forced those who brought the ransom to carry the dead body into the speedboat they went with and commanded them to leave immediately.”
The corpse was taken to the Marine Police Jetty, Yenagoa, before it was deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre. Leigh, son of the victim, was said to have wept profusely on seeing his father’s lifeless body at the morgue.
Contacted, the state Acting Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. A. Ofem, said he had not been briefed on the incident.
Vanguard
