– Six others regain freedom
The family of the seven abducted persons in Erinmope- Ekiti, in Moba Local Government areas of Ekiti State was thrown into a deeper sorrow when news filtered in that one of the abductees lost her life in the evil forest.
Though,six other abductees have regained their freedom after a ransom of N25 million was paid to their abductors ,the remains of the victim have not been released to the family .
Recall that on Saturday , January 24,2026, gunmen stormed Erinmope- Ekiti, and seized five women and demanded N100million. Among those abducted were a nursing mother ,expectant – mother and three others.
Two other persons( ransome bearers ) were later detained after the kidnappers rejected the initial N10million ransome taken to the jungle .
Narrating their ordeals ,one of the escapees , Muhammad Soliu said their abductors subjected them to the worst form of cruelty as they were left for days in the jungle without food or water to drink .He said they were tight together like goats .
Tragically,he said one of them , identified as Hawau Suleiman died while in captivity.She was said to have been exhausted while trekking long distances in the jungle and died in the process.
“We are pleading with the authorities concern to assist us in the recovery of the corps for proper burial arrangements.
” I was detained alongside my brother when we took the first trench of N10million to the kidnappers for them to free the five members of our family earlier abducted .We met the earlier abducted members in the jungle,but we were not allowed to interact with them .Myself and my brother were tight together and the kidnappers ordered us to embark on a journey to know where .We trekked several kilometres bare footed, from a forest in Kwara to the Kogi axis ,with no hope of surviving the onslaught.
” Before we embark on the journey ,the kidnappers ,who usually run shifts , speak English and other Nigerian languages . As we were going ,we became so weak and the deceased woman collapsed ,we pleaded that we should be allowed to.carry her on our back but they (kidnappers ) threatened to kill us .They ordered that we continued moving without looking back .It was the worst experience anyone could think of . I was fred at the Idofin area in Kwara while others were released in Kogi State .We spent 11 days with the our Abductors while the five women earlier abducted spent roughly a month ,having been kidnapped on January 24,2026.”
On whether they could assist the security agents with useful information on how to get the exact location where the women died ,Soliu said it could be difficult,because it was deep inside the evil forest.
He explained that the expectant mother who was released alongside others has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for proper medical.attention.
When contacted, the Ekiti State Police Public Relations ,Sunday Abutu promised to investigate the matter and get back .