Following the reported kidnapping of a Nigeria Women’s Football League player, Ihotu John, the Oyo State Government says it has swung into action to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, while the family is seeking help to raise the N20m ransom demanded by the abductors, The PUNCH reports.
Ihotu, who last featured for Pacesetter Queens FC in the NWFL Premiership, was said to have been abducted on the Benin Expressway last Friday.
The PUNCH gathered that the club had released her and four other players last week after the first half of the season.
Oyo State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Wasilat Adegoke, explained that the management of the club had been trying to obtain useful information to aid the investigation after her abduction was reported through one of her relatives last Friday.
She, however, noted that no concrete information had been obtained, while the family insisted on raising money through the government after the kidnappers reportedly reduced their demand from N20m to N1m.
“She is actually part of the five players we released last Friday. Her family reached out to us through my personal assistant, but they were unable to give us any information that will aid the security agencies to swing into action,” Adegoke told The PUNCH.
“All they were telling us was that they wanted money and that they had bargained for the N20m to be reduced to N1m.
“But we can’t send any funds unless we are able to substantiate the circumstances. It sounded fishy to me. We have asked if they have reached out to the police, but they couldn’t answer. From our end, we will reach out to the Benue State Police Command and even Edo State. If there is anything, the state government will take over from there,” the commissioner added.
The mother of the abducted player, Blessing John, told The PUNCH that she became aware of her daughter’s abduction through a stranger who answered her phone.
“I called her number, and someone picked it up and said they were calling from a station, that the owner of the phone was involved in a kidnapping incident. From what I gathered from someone who identified himself as the driver, there were seven in the bus; three were captured while four escaped. They said she left her phone in the vehicle—that was how they were able to reach me,” she said.
She added that they were still waiting to hear from the abductors regarding the ransom.
“What they told us was that they will call us back,” she said.
“They (the kidnappers) called me, and after I spoke to her, they cut the call. They are asking for N20m, but we are still bargaining. They said they will call us on Monday.
“One of their coaches also said she will get back to me.”
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the Edo State Police Command to confirm whether the incident had been reported were unsuccessful, as our correspondent’s calls and messages to the state’s PPRO, Eno Ikoedem, went unanswered.
Pacesetter Queens FC was formed by the Oyo State Government in 2025 to compete in Nigeria’s women’s top-flight. After open trials in August 2025, the club completed the takeover of Benue Queens’ slot for the 2025/26 season.
However, they are yet to win a game in the NWFL, losing seven and drawing one of their nine matches, leaving them rooted to the bottom of Group A.
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