Prominent Christian evangelist and scientist, 80 years old Professor Duro Adegboye, has been freed by his abductors, it was gathered last night.
Details are sketchy, but a knowledgeable source said he was freed and has been taken to a hospital for necessary medical attention. The source added that the octogenarian declined to eat all he was offered by his captors and lost considerable weight.
There were reports that a ransom may have been paid for his release, but it is said to be nowhere near the N80 million the abductors were insisting on two days ago.
The retired professor of biological science was kidnapped in Kogi State last Saturday.
According to information made available by different sources, Adegboye was abducted on by unknown gunmen between the Cement town of Obajana, where the massive Dangote Cement industry is located, and Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
The evangelist, who left his job as the Dean of Biological Sciences of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State 34 years ago to go into Christian work is believed to be about 80 years old and was believed to be on his way for an engagement before he was abducted. He is based in Offa, Kwara State.
Many feared for the health of the octogenarian on Sunday night on account of his age and torment of walking the forests with his abductors.
A source and friend to the evangelist told Everyday.ng that he also feared for the health of Prof. Adegboye.
Efforts to reach the Kogi State Police Command on Sunday night yielded no result. Its spokesman, SP William Ovye, all through the professor’s travails proved abortive.
There were reports that his abductors initially asked for a ransom of N100 million on Sunday night, but scaled down to N80 million.
According to available information on him, “Prof. Adegboye is the founder and president of Gospel Unlimited, a ministry dedicated to reaching the lost with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and equipping believers to effectively carry out the great commission.
“Uncle Duro (as he is fondly called) bagged his B.Sc from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and then proceeded to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, FAAI New York, USA for his Ph.D.
“Thereafter” he reportedly “returned to Nigeria to pursue a career in teaching. He taught at the ABU where he rose to be the Head of Department of Biological Sciences and the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences. A professor of Biological Science, he was also the Head of Biological Sciences Department and Dean of Science and Technology at the National Open University, Abuja.”