Man seeks help over relation’s kidnap

An Ibadan-based businessman, Mr Dare Samuel Akinrinola, has cried out over the kidnap of his mother-in-law, Mrs Adebola Salami, saying he was dying under the pressure to raise huge ransom to secure her release.

Akinrinola, who recalled the sad experience of his wife’s family members in the hands of the abductors, said the singular incident has impacted his health and finances adversely as he has been finding ways to raise the N25 million ransom demanded by the abductors.

The incident, he recalled, occurred on Akoko Road on December 24, 2021, during a journey to Akure, the Ondo State capital. The journey was undertaken by members of his wife’s family including his wife, Pelumi, her siblings and father when kidnappers attacked and seized them.

But while other members of the family were lucky to escape, Mrs Salami wasn’t.

He said: “ They were going back to Akure from Akungba where my wife was schooling. The kidnappers stopped their vehicle and ordered them into the bush where they walked for hours before they got to their hideout. The area is notorious for kidnapping. My wife, his dad and siblings were so lucky to escape but my mother-in-law wasn’t. She has been held since then and this has been a source of torture for my wife and I as well as other members of the family.

“The kidnappers are demanding N25 million which you know is too huge to easily come by. I have been running from pillar to pole to raise this sum but it is not just happening. This has been giving me sleepless nights while my business is also going down due to my inability to concentrate on my it. I am so confused, I don’t know what step to take next.”

Akinrinola explained that his wife was studying for a Master’s degree at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, adding that the family went to visit her when they were abducted on their return journey.

He said though he has reported to the police, not much has been achieved since then while he endures the agony of raising funds and having Mrs Salami in a condition that is difficult to define. The abduction, he said is also taking its toll on his wife, Mrs Pelumi Akinrinola’s psychological well-being as she has been unable to continue with her study or pursue any important goal.

Akinrinola called on the government to find a lasting solution to the issue of increasing kidnappings in the country.

According to International Committee of the Red Cross, Nigeria is home to the
largest number of people registered
as missing of any country, at 24,476.

The agency also posited that the
figure could be regarded as a vast under-estimate since most missing people
are never reported to the Red Cross.
Cases that are reported have often
gone unresolved for years, it’s officials said, with many of the victims presumed
dead.

The Red Cross has offered to help
Nigerian government create a registry of kidnapped people, but the
proposal has not received a serious consideration.