Kidnappers still holding my son after collecting N500,000 ransom – Akwa Ibom pastor

Mr Aniefiok Assian, a pastor of the Solid Rock Kingdom Church in Akwa Ibom State, shares with CHUKWUDI AKASIKE the pain of his 23-year-old son’s abduction and his hope that he will return to him hale and hearty How did you get to know about your son’s abduction? It was on December 3, 2025, that the kidnappers called us and told us that my son, Utibeabasi, had been kidnapped. They told us that we needed to pay a N30m ransom. So, we negotiated and agreed to pay N500,000. The ransom was paid into the account of one Uzo Onuoha Enterprise through a PoS. What circumstances led to his abduction? My son left home in the morning, saying he was going out to buy cloth to sew and wear to our church convention in 2025, which was held here in Uyo. He said that after buying the material from the market, he would go to the workers’ council, still in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. From that day till today, we have not seen him. Which convention are you talking about? It was our annual convention organised by the Solid Rock Kingdom Church. How old is he? He is 23 years old. Did the kidnappers demand more money after you gave them the sum of N500,000? No, they did not ask for more money after we agreed on the N500,000 ransom. After paying the ransom, they told me that I should pick up my son at the Abak Local Government Area in the evening. My wife and I went to a central point called Ekom Iman Junction, waited for their call, and from the day the ransom was paid till this time, those who kidnapped my son have not called again. Which phone number did they use in reaching out to you? Did they use your son’s phone number or their phone number? They used my son’s phone number throughout to reach out to us. What is the Akwa Ibom State Police Command saying about the incident after you reported the matter to them? First of all, I reported the matter to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit. After that, I went to the DSS. After the DSS, I went to SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics Unit). But in the process, none of them has been able to come up with anything concrete. When I call them, they always tell me that they are on the matter. Later, when we call them, they would not answer. When I visit them, they behave as if they do not know me or have never seen me before, even when I have paid the money they demanded. When the delay became too much, a journalist told me to contact the state Police Public Relations Officer or the state Commissioner of Police. I was told the CP was looking for me, telling the journalist that he had never heard that my son was kidnapped. That was how many months a