A former member of the National Assembly from Ekiti State, Senator Ayo Arise, was on Sunday evening seized by suspected kidnappers in neighbouring Kogi State.
Arise, who represented Ekiti North between 2007 and 2011, was reportedly snatched between Okene and Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, on his way to Abuja after attending some events in Ekiti State.
A source told our reporter yesterday that the senator’s abductors had contacted the family and demanded N80 million ransom.
Arise was reportedly abducted with his driver and taken to an unknown location.
The politician is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of next year’s governorship poll.
He dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the 2015 general elections.
His abductors, whose number could not be ascertained last night, were said to have blocked Arise’s Mercedes Benz Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).
The Oye-born senator was said to have attended a ceremony at Ikere where chieftaincy titles were conferred on a former Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Tunde Ogunsakin, and his wife, Chinyere, by the Ogoga, Oba Adejimi Adu.
He reportedly played golf, his favourite game, at the Ado-Ekiti Golf Course on Poly Road before retiring to his country home for political meetings with his supporters.
An aide to the senator, who spoke in confidence said: “Yes, he visited Ekiti State on Saturday before returning to Abuja.
“When we wanted to establish contact with him, we could not. The last time I called him was around 6 p.m. So, the kidnap must have taken place around 7 p.m.
“They (abductors) have contacted us and demanded a sum of N80 million ransom. We are worried because we don’t know his situation
