Reprieve came the way of the family of the Baba Aso of Igbole in the Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State, Rev. Olusanjo Ojo, when the syndicate that abducted his wife, Funbi, and daughter, set them free more than 48 hours after they were kidnapped.

Funbi, a matron, and her daughter, a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps, were said to be returning from the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, where the woman works, around 8pm on Monday, when the hoodlums waylaid them.

It was gathered that the mother and daughter were released on Wednesday after the payment of N2.5m ransom.

A family source said the victims were taken to a forest along the Igboora-Abeokuta Road by the bandits.

The source said the abductors initially demanded N4m ransom before eventually settling for N2.5m.

The source stated, “The Olori and her daughter were released yesterday (Wednesday) night after the payment of N2.5m. We took the money to the abductors in order to secure their release.

“We delivered the money to the kidnappers in a bush, where the monarch’s wife and her daughter were surrounded by about 12 armed men. They told us that not even the police could stop them.”

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Olugbenga Fadeyi, said the police and other groups in the community made concerted efforts to secure the release of the victims.

“Concerted efforts of the police team, in collaboration with critical stakeholders within the community, such as the vigilantes and hunters, paid off,” he stated.

Fadeyi said the mother and daughter had since been reunited with their family.