Kidnapped Popular Nigerian Musician Ogbogu Okonji Released

Popular Nigerian musician, Ogbogu Okonji aka The Message Man

The kidnapped Popular Nigerian musician, Ogbogu Okonji, has been released after a ransom of Two Million Naira was paid.

OGB or The Message Man, as the local musician is also called, was kidnapped late night on 28 October 2014. Xclusive Magazine reliably gathered that two heavily armed “Fulani-looking men” invaded his home at Ibusa, Delta State and abducted him to an unknown destination.

A few hours after the local musician was abducted, the kidnappers contacted the family to demand N15million ransom for his release. A very reliable source revealed to Xclusive magazine that family of Mr. Okonji tried to negotiate down the ransom to Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira, but the kidnappers refused to play ball.

After intensive negotiation that lasted all through yesterday night until early today afternoon, the kidnappers eventually agreed a compromised ransom of Two Million Naira, which was eventually paid this evening before he was released a few minutes ago.

In a telephone interview with Xclusive Magazine earlier today, the Ibusa Divisional Crime Officer, Mr. Davidson, said that the police are not aware that the kidnappers have made any ransom demand “because the daughter of the kidnapped victim was supposed to come to us today, but we did not see her.” He, however, revealed that the case file has been transferred to the (Delta) State CID.

Ogbogu Okonji, who resides in Lagos, is billed to perform for former Governor Chris Ngige‘s mother-in-law’s funeral in Ibusa this coming Saturday, 1 November 2014.(Scroll down to watch his music video.)

The abduction of Ogbogu Okonji is one of many high profile kidnap cases in Delta State in recent years. On 30 September 2012, Professor Hope Eghagha, the State Commissioner for Higher Education, was kidnapped along the Agbor-Abraka Road, between Agbor and Abavo. His police orderly was killed in the process. The Professor of English was released after being held captive for 14 days. It was not clear whether a ransom was paid.

Professor Hope Eghagha, Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education

In December that same year, Prof. Kamene Okonjo, the 82-year-old mother of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, 60, coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, was abducted from her home in Ogwashi-Uku. She was later released after an undisclosed amount, rumoured to be in the region of N500million, was paid out.

The kidnappers of both Madam Iweala and Professor Eghagha were later apprehended and are now facing trials.

VIDEO – Eje Ana by Ogbogu Okonji