Chief Executive Officer of Itugbe-Usele Sports Academy, Ohorhe in Uvwie Council of Delta State, Mrs. Gracious Agbajor and five female footballers kidnapped recently by bandits at Urhonigbe town in Orhionmwon Council of Edo State have been released.

Husband to the female football coach and administrator, Godwin Agbajor, said the captives were released after payment of N5 million ransom.

He knocked the Edo State Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) over what he described as its poor response to the abduction.

Agbajor claimed that rather than getting the needed assistance from the force, he was allegedly advised to accede to the demands of the hoodlums by the officer handling the case.

He faulted the force for “claiming to have rescued other victims, who went personally to the station to report the incident, as they were not rescued as claimed by the Edo State Police Command.”

Agbajor appealed to the Delta Government and security agencies in both states to expedite efforts at fishing out the bandits that have taken over the surrounding forests.

Narating their ordeals in the hands of the kidnappers, Mrs. Agbajor, her assistant coach, Beatrice Olugbufu and the team’s goalkeeper, Benedict Afemike, recounted that they were made to walk for hours to the hoodlums’ hideout, including four-year-old Destiny Olugbufu, son of the assistant coach.

The kidnappers, according to Agbajor, earlier demanded a N50 million ransom before being eventually negotiated to N5 million.

She urged the Federal Government and security agencies to up their game towards checkmating activities of criminals not only in Abuja, but also in the country, as a whole.