Going by media reports at the weekend that abductors of Oniba of Iba town, Oba Goriola Oseni, had reduced their ransom to N40 million, the family of the Lagos Oba has expressed the fears over the effect of media reports and external factors on the release of the traditional ruler.

According to the family, unconfirmed media reports had been affecting the correspondence between the family and the abductors.

The family members expressed their fears on Saturday while speaking with Sunday Tribune on the said reports.

A member of the family who pleaded anonymity while speaking with the Sunday Tribune, expressed his displeasure at the “effect of the media and external factors on the attempts to get the monarch released.

“You people should just leave us alone. I don’t know where you get your information from but you should consider the safety of the monarch first,” the source added .

He added that “at a time we are begging the people with N200 million you people were saying that they had reduced it to N40 million. Where did you get your reports from.”

A top member of the traditional chiefs in Ibaland who also pleaded anonymity denied that the abductors had reduced the ransom to N40 million.

The chief stated that they were still appealing to the abductors to reduce the ransom and that they were, as of Saturday afternoon yet to agree on that.

One of the wives of the monarch, Olori Nafisat Oseni, however, denied being aware of the reduction in the ransom.

She simply said “I don’t know. I don t want to say anything on that now.”