News in brief:
– Ondo farmer Olanrewaju Oyeleye was kidnapped near Akure Airport and released after paying a ₦25 million ransom.
– He describes the brutal treatment by his abductors and calls for improved security measures to combat kidnappings.
An Ondo entrepreneur, Mr Olanrewaju Oyeleye, who returned to the country to start farming, has revealed that he paid a ransom of ₦25 million for his release after being abducted by gunmen.
Oyeleye claimed that the ransom was paid in Ekiti State. He and his farm manager were kidnapped at Oba-Ile, near Akure Airport while heading to his farm in Abo-Ashakin, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State. Recalling the harrowing experience, Oyeleye said the abduction happened on the same day his wife gave birth to twins, making the ordeal even more traumatic for his family.
“I spent five days in the kidnappers’ den. It was a horrifying period, especially for my wife and newborns,” he said.
Ambushed and shot at by armed herdsmen
Narrating the attack, Oyeleye said he was ambushed by gunmen suspected to be armed Fulani herdsmen on a Friday morning.
“I was driving my Toyota Camry when I suddenly saw the road blocked by five to six armed men wielding AK-47 rifles. They shouted at me to stop when I attempted to reverse,” he stated. “Realising I could not escape, I eventually surrendered. The kidnappers dragged me and my farm manager into the dense forest, forcing us to walk all night to an unknown location.”
Oyeleye said his abductors initially demanded ₦100 million for his release. When he insisted he could not afford it, they resorted to physical assault.
“They used cutlasses on my head and back for days. Every morning, they would start beating me before giving me a phone to call my family and demand the ransom,” he narrated.
He also revealed that the kidnappers, who called themselves the Mafia, boasted that they feared no one, not even the military.
Criminal network supplying kidnappers with weapons
What frightened him the most, he said, was the seamless way the kidnappers communicated with their suppliers.
“They don’t operate in isolation. They have a network and godfathers. I heard them making calls, requesting supplies and weapons, which were delivered at various points inside the forest,” he said.
After days of negotiations, Oyeleye’s family succeeded in reducing the ransom to ₦25 million. The money was delivered to Ise-Ekiti before he was released.
“I am now living in fear. Yesterday, as I was heading home, I was terrified. Today, stepping outside, I am still scared. If they could kidnap me in daylight, what could happen at night?” he asked.
Oyeleye attributed the rise in kidnapping to the impunity enjoyed by criminals. He urged the government to overhaul the nation’s security system, equip law enforcement agencies with modern technology, and strengthen community policing to curb the menace.
