A resident of Kwara State, identified as Aliyu, has been released after spending 10 days in the custody of kidnappers, following the payment of a ₦10.5 million ransom.
Aliyu was abducted on August 24, 2025, in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, alongside his brother’s wife. In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, he appeared weak and dishevelled as he recounted his harrowing experience in captivity. He explained that the kidnappers took them deep into a forest, where he was chained, while his brother’s wife, who was not restrained, managed to escape after several days. He later received confirmation that she returned home safely.
According to Aliyu, the kidnappers released him only after collecting ₦10.5 million from his family. He disclosed that several other victims remain in captivity. “There is a place where they kept eight people, another with two, and another with three,” he said, adding that he saw at least 13 other captives held in different locations within the forest.
After his release, Aliyu wandered aimlessly until a local man in Okuntan, Kogi State, found him stranded and offered him shelter for the night. The man later brought him to Egbe, where residents, noticing his distressed condition, questioned him. He then narrated his ordeal and confirmed that his abductors had seized his phone but returned his SIM card, which they placed in a small handset before letting him go.
Egbe, located in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, shares a boundary with Kwara South, a region notorious for recurring cases of abduction. The town has been at the centre of heightened tension as residents grapple with worsening insecurity.
Just a day earlier, hundreds of Egbe residents staged a protest against the rising wave of kidnappings and violent attacks. The demonstrators, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “End insecurity, Federal Government, please protect our lives” and “Enough is enough,” blocked a major road and burnt tyres to draw national attention. The protest followed a deadly gunmen attack on a police checkpoint in the area that claimed the lives of three officers.
Community leaders have also raised concerns that some locals are aiding kidnappers by providing supplies or accommodation, urging residents to desist from collaborating with criminal groups.
