Society Gists

Nigerian cinematographer, Joel Benson has been reportedly kidnapped at his home in Mowe Ibafo, Ogun State.

Reports claim Joel, a 35-year-old member of an acapella gospel group 6Team, was a victim of robbery and kidnap in the presence of his family on Sunday, July 10.

‘They came in through the window. They took our telephones, laptops and iPad. They took some money but I don’t know how much they took. When they came in demanding for all these things, we thought they were armed robbers,’ his wife, Ego told The Guardian.

Ego claims the abductors have made contact with Joel’s family, with the cinematographer revealing he is being held for a ransom of N50 million before he can be released.

‘They later asked to know who the man of the house was. My husband identified himself and they took him away. He was crying on the phone when I spoke with him. He told me to call anyone I knew to raise the money. They called in the morning and they also called at 2:20p.m. yesterday, demanding for N50 million ransom.’

According to the publication, Ogun State police boss, Abdulmajid Ali confirmed the abduction and said his men have swung into action.

‘We are working on it. The media needs to support us to clean up our neighbourhood of cult boys and hoodlums. Our detectives have been deployed and we are working with members of his family to ensure he is released without harm.’ he said.

A look through Joel Benson’s Facebook page revealed he last posted about his time in Kebbi State on July 8, two days before the said kidnap. He also states Lagos as his place of abode.

‘Heading back to Lagos after a great week of filming in Ankoko village, Kebbi State making a documentary for AMG. It’s been an incredible experience interacting with these beautiful people and soon I’ll be sharing images from the experience,’ he wrote.

He runs a Lagos-based independent production company, JB Multimedia Studios.

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