The kidnapping of Anambra businessman and Chairman of Jezco Group, Chief Sir Joseph Ezeokafor, has taken a more disturbing turn after his abductors reportedly increased their ransom demand from ₦700 million to a staggering ₦1.5 billion.
Key Highlights
- Ransom demand rises to ₦1.5bn: Kidnappers reportedly increased their demand for the release of Anambra businessman Chief Sir Joseph Ezeokafor from ₦700 million to ₦1.5 billion.
- Businessman reportedly abducted: Ezeokafor, chairman of Jezco Group and father of socialite Jowizaza, was allegedly kidnapped while heading to a prayer ground for his annual spiritual retreat.
- Went out without security: Reports indicate the septuagenarian left his residence without his security personnel when the kidnappers allegedly struck.
- Family reportedly agreed to initial ransom: The family was said to have accepted the ₦700 million demand in an effort to secure his release.
- Demand allegedly more than doubled: The abductors subsequently raised the ransom to ₦1.5 billion, reportedly leaving the family in a difficult situation.
Ezeokafor, a septuagenarian and father of socialite Jowizaza, was reportedly abducted in the early hours of Tuesday after leaving his residence for a prayer ground as part of his annual spiritual retreat.
According to reports, the businessman went out without his security personnel when the kidnappers allegedly struck.
What began as a desperate ransom negotiation has now reportedly become a nightmare for the family, with the abductors said to have more than doubled their initial demand and subsequently stopped communicating.
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A source close to the family said the kidnappers initially demanded ₦700 million for Ezeokafor’s release.
The family reportedly agreed to the demand as part of efforts to secure the businessman’s safe return, only for the abductors to allegedly raise the ransom to ₦1.5 billion.
The sudden increase has reportedly left the family facing an agonising dilemma as they struggle to determine what the kidnappers want and how to secure Ezeokafor’s freedom.
More troubling is the reported breakdown in communication.
According to the source, the family had remained willing to negotiate and do everything possible to bring the businessman home, but the abductors allegedly stopped communicating.
“The family has been willing to negotiate and do whatever is necessary to secure his release, but the kidnappers have suddenly stopped communicating,” the source reportedly said.
The silence has reportedly made the situation even more frightening, as the family is said to be unable to establish direct contact with the kidnappers or confirm Ezeokafor’s current condition.
With the businessman’s whereabouts and wellbeing reportedly uncertain, anxiety has mounted among his relatives, associates and members of his community.
The incident has also raised fresh concerns over the security situation in Anambra, particularly the vulnerability of high-profile residents and wealthy business owners to kidnapping.
Despite the seriousness of the alleged abduction, reports indicate that more than a week after Ezeokafor was reportedly taken, the Anambra State Police Command and state government had yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
The reported ₦1.5 billion ransom demand, coupled with the alleged silence from the kidnappers, has now added a dangerous layer of uncertainty to the family’s efforts to secure the septuagenarian’s release.
