“I got myself released by paying N6.5 million on July 13, but I was shocked to read in the news that I was rescued by the police.”
The Chief Imam of Uromi Central Mosque in Edo State, Imam Muhammad Murtadha Obhakhobo, has dismissed claims by the Edo State Police Command that he was rescued from his kidnappers, saying he secured his own release by paying a N6.5 million ransom.
“I am Imam Muhammad Murtadha Obhakhobo, the Chief Imam of Uromi Central Mosque in Edo Central. I was kidnapped on July 9, 2025, along the Ubiaja-Illushi road,” he told journalists. “I got myself released by paying N6.5 million on July 13, but I was shocked to read in the news that I was rescued by the police.”
The Edo Police had earlier credited “sustained pressure” for his release. The cleric said the Divisional Police Officer later visited to hear his account. “After explaining what transpired to the DPO, I was surprised to see the police trying to take credit for doing nothing,” he said.
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