According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the gunmen had on Sunday first reached out to the king’s family for a N100 million ransom payment.
The Monarch, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, who was the Olukoro of Koro-Ekiti in the Ekiti Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State, was murdered in his palace on Thursday night, while his wife and one other person were abducted by the assailants.
Speaking with journalists on Sunday, Mr Kehinde Bayode, Chairman of the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) in the Ekiti Local Government Council of Kwara, said a suspect has been apprehended in connection with the crime. He hinted that the suspect was apprehended in Eruku town in the Ekiti LGA on Sunday.
While speaking on efforts made to free the abducted wife of the monarch and the other person, Bayode said: “The kidnappers had gotten in touch with the family. They were demanding a N100 million ransom, which has now been reduced to N40 million".
“We will continue to brief you (journalists) as the situation unfolds, and we will keep you posted,” he said.
When contacted however, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Kwara, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, revealed that no suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident.
She asserted that the Commissioner of Police has deployed a tactical team to Koro-Ekiti to fish out the perpetrators, adding that Policemen are working with other sister agencies to free those that were abducted during the kidnapping incident.
