By Gabriel Enogholase
BENIN—FOUR months after his mother, Mrs. Grace Ilugbekhai, was abducted from her home and taken to an unknown destination by gunmen on  April 15, a Lagos-based Structural Engineer, Mr Samuel Ilugbekhai, and his siblings have appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo and  security agencies in the country to come to the aid of the family by fishing out those behind the abduction.
They also want the Police to assist in finding out the whereabouts of their mother and whether she is still alive.
Mrs. Ilugbekhai, according to the family was kidnapped from her home at about 8 p.m. at Columbus Ilugbekhai Street, in Estako East Local Government Area of the state four months ago.

The kidnapping of the octogenarian came barely two weeks after her son, Engr.  Ilugbekhai, bankrolled the 1st Afenmai International Economic Submit at Agenebode in Estako East.

N50 million ransom

Ilugbekhai, also the National President of Estako Club 81, who addressed newsmen in Benin,  yesterday, said shortly after the kidnapping of their mother, the abductors demanded for a ransom of N50 million, which was negotiated to N1m and same was made available to them.

He said, “we leant that in the process of effecting the payment, it was bungled and the ransom never got to them. Again about three of the suspected kidnappers were said to have been arrested by the Police, but till date, none of them have been prosecuted.

“Since the arrest of the third suspected kidnapper, we have not heard from the abductors again, as they cut off  all communication with us. I am appealing to the Inspector-General of Police, all security agencies, the Federal and Edo State governments to assist my family by putting machinery in place to facilitate the release of our mother,”  he added.