In a dramatic turn of events in Kwara State, kidnappers who earlier abducted three siblings have reportedly detained their father after he delivered a ransom for his sons, who had already escaped from captivity.

The Incident occurred in Oreke, Ifelodun Local Government Area, a community that has increasingly come under the grip of banditry in recent months.

According to security sources, the three brothers were kidnapped by armed men while returning from a nearby town last week.

The kidnappers later contacted their family, demanding a ransom of N7 million for their release.

In a desperate effort to secure the freedom of his children, the father gathered the demanded sum and proceeded into the forest to meet the abductors.

Unknown to him, however, the boys had miraculously escaped from captivity shortly before he arrived.

What was supposed to be a moment of relief took a dark turn when the kidnappers, upon seeing the father without their captives, seized him instead.

“They told him that since the children were no longer with them, he would now be held in their place,” a police source at the command’s headquarters in Ilorin told Daily Trust under anonymity.

The abductors were said to have demanded a fresh ransom reportedly higher than the original N7 million before they would release the father.

The victims were reportedly at the police headquarters at the weekend to aid investigators, it was gathered.

Security operatives are said to be working round the clock to locate the hideout of the criminals and secure the release of the detained parent.

Calls and text messages sent to the command’s spokeswoman, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, were not answered as at the time of filing the story.

A senior officer, however, confirmed that an incident involving a ransom handover and a twist in the kidnapping case had been reported and was receiving top-level attention. (Daily Trust)