Abductors of a House of Representatives member Alhaji Sani Bello, yesterday demanded N10million to free him.
Bello was kidnapped on Tuesday near Gobirawa near Birni-Gwari in Kaduna State.
The 52-year-old legislator, who has been living in Kaduna State for many years is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He once served as Chairman of Mashi Local Government.
A tweet from Aviation Minister(State) Hadi Sirika (@hadisirika) first announced the unfortunate incident.
A respected indigene of Gobirawa near Birni-Gwari where Alhaji Bello lives, told The Nation on condition of anonymity that the legislator was ambushed and kidnapped on his way to the farm.
The informant told The Nation on the telephone last night: “He was abducted around 5pm on Tuesday but it usually takes much time for people who are about one and a half hours away in Kaduna city to hear about things happening to us here.
“On Wednesday (yesterday) evening, around 5pm, we heard from the kidnappers for the first time and they demanded that N6million be paid as ransom within two hours.
“Two hours afterwards, they demanded that N10 million must be paid immediately but we are trying to negotiate it downwards now.
The kidnappers called one of their victim’s best friends to make their demands known and we are now praying that God would touch the hearts of his abductors to ensure a safe return.”
The area where Bello’s kidnappers abducted him had been under the threat of highway robbers, cattle-rustlers and other criminal elements for years but lately, the Nigerian Army, Kaduna State government and various security agencies have dislocated the criminal elements.