On 23rd October 2025, this young man was abducted by a group of heavily armed men at a farm in Oke Ako, Akole LGA, Ekiti State.
He was forcibly dragged deep into an unmapped jungle camp, completely unaware that he would spend the next six weeks fighting to keep his sanity while his captors demanded an impossible ransom.
The camp was a psychological nightmare, surrounded by thick, impenetrable briars and guarded day and night by men carrying military-grade rifles.
His name was Gbolahan Olaniyi, and he had been thrown into a hidden, makeshift forest camp run by a ruthless syndicate of bandits.
He was abducted alongside a tractor operator from the same farm where he works. The bandits initially asked for 150 million Naira as ransom for the two of them.
After a long negotiation with the family of Gbolahan, they dropped the amount to just 15 million Naira.
Unfortunately, even after the mother of Gbolahan went helter-skelter to gather the 15 Million Naira and drop it at the place they asked, they refused to release him.
They insisted that the family pay an extra 5 Million Naira and also find a way to pay the 15 Million Naira for the Tractor Operator.
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When Gbolahan objected, citing that his mother can’t afford more, they beat him with a cane and sticks.
After trying to negotiate the release of the Tractor operator and realising that the money couldn’t be raised beyond 2 million Naira, the bandits shot the operator in the chest and stomach.
Gbolahan became scared and confused. Days later, one of the bandits asked him to convince his mother to send just 2 million to an account provided by the bandit, of which she was able to raise only 1.5 million Naira.
They threatened to end her son if she didn’t meet up by a certain Friday. She was able to gather the 2 million Naira and send it, but the next day, when he was supposed to be released, the man who took the money was nowhere to be found.
He was later transferred to the care of a lower-ranking member of the group, who complained that he only received 15,000 Naira out of the 2 million.
The lower-ranking member was angry but didn’t do anything bad to the two remaining abductees. Instead, he dropped the keys to the chains and went away without a word.
It took the 2 of them hours to realise that this was their opportunity to escape. They eventually unlocked themselves and started running into the bush.
They drank from dirty streams and ate any fruit they could get their hands on. They almost gave up but realising they had gone far, buckled up and continued running.
They finally arrived at a farm at Isanlu Esa, Yagba West, Kogi State. The people there gave them food and water, then took them to the nearest military checkpoint.
After much questioning by the military, they were transported to a Military facility in Ekiti State, then to the Police Station.
Gbolahan’s mother met him there, and finally, they were reunited. His mother has yet to pay off the loans she took to pay off the ransom.
For forty-two days, Gbolahan was forced to sleep on the bare, damp mud, exposed to freezing night temperatures, swarms of mosquitoes, and the constant threat of violence.
May we not see this kind of horror in our lifetime. Nigeria is under siege.
Victor U. Amaku
