THE Ward 5 Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nelson Adepoyigi, has reportedly died in the hands of his kidnappers despite the payment of a N5 million ransom.
Adepoyigi, who was abducted in Ifon, was reportedly killed after his family complied with the kidnappers’ demand to reduce the initial ransom from N100 million to N5 million.
The kidnappers also insisted on receiving food supplies as part of the deal, which the family said to have provided.
The kidnappers further abducted two individuals who had delivered the ransom and food items but were released later, while the APC chieftain was not freed.
Before their release, they made a fresh demand of N30 million to secure the release of the three captives.
However, the kidnappers later released the two individuals, but Adepoyigi was not freed.
The freed volunteers have since reunited with their families, but the APC chieftain’s body has not yet been recovered.
Premium Times reported that an Ifon community leader, who requested anonymity, confirmed that although the two volunteers had returned home safely, Adepoyigi’s whereabouts remained unknown.
Reacting to the incident in a statement from n Sunday, May 18, the Chairman of Ose LGA, Clement Ojo, expressed his grief and condemned the killing of Adepoyigi by the kidnappers.
“The entire leadership and people of Ose Local Government mourn this tragic loss. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and political associates of the deceased,” he said.
“His dedication to the progress of our party and the grassroots community will be forever remembered and honoured.”
Ojo also did not disclose how the community confirmed Adepoyigi’s death or whether an additional ransom was paid.
But he further decried the rising cases of kidnapping in the area, noting that just days earlier, another resident narrowly escaped abduction while parking his motorcycle at home.
“We are now at a critical juncture where security challenges have become a serious threat to the safety and freedom of our people,” he said. “Only a few days before this incident, another resident narrowly escaped being kidnapped while parking his motorcycle. This pattern of brazen abductions, even at the very gates of people’s homes, confirms that insecurity has taken a dangerous and intolerable dimension.”
The council chairman called on security agencies to intensify patrols, improve surveillance, and ensure the swift arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators to serve as a deterrent to others.
Meanwhile, speaking with The ICIR, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Olutokunbo Afolabi, said they only took the news of his death as runout since they have not yet found the dead body.
“You know what the law says. We can’t pronounce anybody dead until we found the dead body. We have deployed special officers to the area and the combed the thick forest but we haven’t found the dead body,” he said.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M