By Dayo Johnson, Akure

Five kidnapped victims have been rescued by the Ondo state security outfit codenamed Amotekun, without the payment of N150m ransom demanded before their release.

They were rescued after four days in captivity.

Vanguard gathered that their family members reported their abduction to the state Amotekun office, following which they swung into action and freed them.

Narrating their ordeal at the office of the security outfit in Akure, one of the victims, Ayo Adeyeye, said they were abducted along the Benin/Lagos highway in Odigbo and Akoko South West council areas of the state.

Describing their experience as a harrowing experience, the victim said that they were subjected to harsh conditions, with no access to food and water.

The kidnappers, they said, threatened to terminate our lives if their demand for the ransom was not met.

Adeleye said he and his brother were abducted while returning from his farm around 6:30 pm by four armed men.

He added that his motorcycle was flagged down and marched into the bush.

According to him “I was returning home when they stopped us, but my brother ran away before i could stop the motorcycle. They dragged me with them and we trekked all through the night till the following morning.

“My brother who escaped told our people who combed all the forest with no positive results and they had to involve Amotekun men who rescued me with three other victims.

“The kidnappers diverted their movement immediately my brother left, we took the opposite road to avoid being traced but the Amotekun men and my people were combing the forest where they abducted me.

“Fortunately, the security men decided to search the opposite forest and when the kidnappers saw them, they ran away from the camp and we were rescued without paying any ransom”

“We walked all the day with no food or water for four days. They camped us in a place and keep negotiating with our family, demanding N100m but I told them my family cannot afford it”

Another victim,Emmanuel Adeniran, who was rescued in Akoko area of the state, thanked the personnel of the security for rescuing them from untimely death.

Adeniran said the kidnappers threatened to kill them if ransom was not paid on time before he was rescued by Amotekun men, while the kidnappers ran away.

Addressing newsmen, the state Commander of Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said the five victims were rescued in two locations across the state without paying ransom.

Adeleye said that four of the victims were kidnapped on their way from farm along Ore-Ijebu Ode/Lagos expressway, while one other victim was rescued around Ifon forest five days after he was abducted at his Upemen residence on Owo-Ikare road.

According to him ” the armed kidnappers had demanded N150million ransom from the families of the five victims before Amotekun foiled the operations.

He said special Amotekun rangers had been deployed into all the major forests and locations in the state to curb criminalities.

Adeleye added that “over 12 armed robbery and kidnapping cases had been foiled by officials of Amotekun in the state, particularly Ondo-Ogun states boundary