UGHELLI, Nigeria – Gnewzy, an up-and-coming singer, whose real name is Emuemu Goodnews, was kidnapped by armed assailants demanding a $200,000 ransom.
The abduction occurred in the early hours of Monday, April 29, 2024, as the singer returned home from a concert.
Gnewzy was abducted after his performance at a homecoming concert at the Monaco Nightclub in Ughelli, Delta State.
According to a statement from the record label’s project coordinator, Adedayo Showemimo, Gnewzy’s manager narrowly escaped a similar fate.
“It is with deep concern and grave distress that Eric Many Records announces the unfortunate incident involving our artiste Gnewzy. In the early hours of Monday, 29th April, Gnewzy was kidnapped in Ughelli, Delta State. His manager, Obas9ice, narrowly escaped the same ordeal on Eklat road in Ughelli,” the statement detailed.
The kidnappers have made contact with Dilly Umenyiora, the CEO of Eric Many Records, through email, setting a chilling ultimatum for the ransom’s payment and warning against police involvement.
The email explicitly threatened, “You have seven days to pay $200,000 for your artist Gnewzy, or we will send out his head. We will send you a mail in five days on location for dropoff, involve the police or mark the money, and he will be killed.”
In a recent interview with Channels TV, Umenyiora expressed his distress over the situation, highlighting the dilemma of meeting the kidnappers’ demands while considering the financial implications for the record label.
“Paying the ransom is not even the issue. You know, when you sign an artiste, there are certain monies he is supposed to make for and with the record label as stated in the contract, and I don’t know if the money will be part of it,” Umenyiora lamented.
“At the same time, I do not want to resist paying the ransom so they don’t kill him. The police are investigating the issue and have promised to bring the kidnappers to book, so we are mounting pressure on the law enforcement agencies. It’s just a lot for me,”
Bright Edafe, the Delta Police Command spokesperson, confirmed that the authorities are actively investigating the kidnapping, which follows a troubling pattern in the region.
Kidnapping for ransom remains a persistent threat in Delta State and several other areas in Nigeria, despite significant efforts by law enforcement to combat these crimes and rescue victims.
The community and fans of Gnewzy are calling for his safe return as the investigation continues.
