The quiet agrarian community of Ohebe Orba in Enugu State has been thrown into turmoil following the kidnapping of eight residents, including a prominent priestess and four farmers. The Wednesday night attack occurred as the spiritual leader and three devotees were en route to a riverside ritual site, marking the latest in a disturbing surge of abductions across the state.
Sources reveal the captors have established contact with victims’ families, initially demanding N50 million ransom before reducing the figure to N15 million. This development comes barely 24 hours after the release of 15 hostages from Ibagwa Agu farm settlement in nearby Nsukka LGA, where kidnappers had earlier demanded N10 million per captive. Among those previously abducted was Maurice Osmond, a father who had traveled with his son for secondary school entrance examinations before their violent seizure along Agu Ibagwa-Ani road.
Local media personality Chijinkem Ugwuanyi’s social media posts documenting the ordeal have amplified growing public outrage over deteriorating security in rural Enugu. Residents now live in palpable fear, with many avoiding farm roads and ritual sites that were once community landmarks.
