Grief has enveloped the family of a kidnap victim in Erinmope-Ekiti, Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State, after the woman died in the custody of her abductors even as six other victims regained freedom following the payment of N25 million ransom.
The seven victims were seized on January 24, 2026, when gunmen stormed Erinmope-Ekiti and abducted five women, including a nursing mother and a pregnant woman, with the kidnappers initially demanding N100 million for their release.
The crisis deepened when two persons sent to deliver an initial N10 million ransom were themselves detained after the abductors rejected the sum, bringing the total number of captives to seven.
One of the survivors,
Muhammad Soliu, recounted a harrowing ordeal, saying the victims were bound, starved and forced to trek barefoot across forests for days.
“We were tied together like goats and forced to trek long distances barefoot. It was a nightmare,” he said.
Soliu disclosed that one of the abducted women, Hawau Suleiman, collapsed from exhaustion during a forced march through the forest and died.
“We pleaded with the kidnappers to allow us carry her, but they threatened to kill us if we stopped,” he narrated.
The survivors were eventually freed at different locations, with Soliu released at Idofin in Kwara State and others in Kogi State, after spending 11 days in captivity.
The five women abducted earlier had endured close to a month in the kidnappers’ den.
Suleiman’s remains are yet to be recovered, as the family is unable to locate the exact spot in the dense forest where she died.
“We are appealing to the relevant authorities to help us recover her corpse for proper burial,” Soliu pleaded.
The Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, confirmed that the command was aware of the incident and pledged that investigations would be conducted to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abductions and the death of the victim.
