Wife of US hostage in Africa reveals captors’ ransom demand

By ERIC TUCKER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The wife of an American humanitarian worker who was kidnapped in Niger five years ago says her husband’s captors have made a multimillion-dollar ransom demand but that U.S. government “restrictions” have hindered her ability to raise the sum. Els Woodke says she believes her husband, Jeff Woodke, is in the custody of a West African affiliate of al-Qaida known as JNIM and that she received information indicating he was alive as of this summer. She also expressed her discontent with aspects of the U.S. government’s approach, saying she has been repeatedly told that if she discloses details about her husband’s case, she will be cut off from receiving additional information.