…Kidnappers reduce ransom demand from N70 m to N50m

15 days after being kidnapped by unidentified gunmen, the whereabouts of Madam Beauty Ogere Siasia, the mother of a former Coach and player of the Super Eagles, Samson Siasia remains unknown.

Investigations at the weekend showed that only little have been heard of the 80-year-old woman, kidnapped alongside 66-year-old Florence Donana and her 17-year-old granddaughter.

The victims were whiske d away from their Odoni community, Sagbama Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, on July 15 at about 2am.

Two days after the incident, the kidnappers established contacts with Siasia’s family and demanded N70m to set the victims free.

Siasia, however, begged the kidnappers to set his aged mother free unconditionally saying he was out of job and had no such money to pay them.

A family member said over the weekend that the kidnappers reduced the ransom from N70m to N50m without consideration to the health of the woman.

He said the family offered to pay N500,000 to secure the freedom of the woman but the kidnappers rebuffed the offer saying it was too small.

He raised concerns over the health of Ogere and her ability to survive the rainy season and extremely cold weather.

He said the police and other security agencies such as the Department of State Security (DSS) had done nothing about the abduction adding that nothing tangible came out of a recent security meeting held on the matter.

“We are begging the abductors to set our mother free. We dont have the kind of money they are asking for. They should please respect the age of the woman and release her,” he said.

 Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Butswat Asinim, said the police were working seriously on the matter.