Eighteen abducted persons, comprising four wedding guests and 14 church members, are required to raise N400 million to secure their release before Christmas.
The victims, all kidnapped within the past two weeks, are being held by different groups of abductors who have jointly demanded the amount as ransom.
Fourteen worshippers of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, were abducted during a church service on November 30, 2025.
In another incident, four wedding guests returning from Jos were forcefully abducted a few kilometres to their destination at Magongo village in Ogori/Magogo Local Government Area on December 8, 2025.
While the abductors fixed a ransom of N25 million on each of the four wedding guests, the group that kidnapped the 14 church members is demanding N200 million as a lump sum. The ransom was reportedly negotiated down from N500 million to the current N200 million.
This brings the total ransom being demanded by the kidnappers to N400 million.
The National President of the Magongo Development Association (MDA), Prince Jordan Akpata, confirmed that the abductors had communicated the ransom demands to the families of the victims.
It was also learnt that the group that kidnapped the pastor, his wife and other family members issued a two-day ultimatum for the victims to raise the ransom or face the “consequences”.
There is growing anxiety across the state over the safety of the victims, particularly as the Kogi State Government has vowed not to negotiate with bandits and criminal elements.
Residents are now questioning what then is the fate of the victims still held in captivity.
On November 30, 2025, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, confirmed the attack and strongly condemned it, stating that Governor Usman Ododo was coordinating a manhunt involving conventional and local security networks.
The government also reiterated its policy against negotiating with bandits, stressing its capacity to confront and dismantle criminal networks.
