Kidnappers demand N500m for five road workers abducted in Kwara

Five road construction workers kidnapped in Kwara State are reportedly being held for a ransom of N500 million, their families have revealed.

The workers were abducted on December 15, 2025, at a Kwara State Government road construction site along the Sabaja/Owa-Onire Road in Isin Local Government Area. The victims—Ademola Afolabi, Abdullahi Lade, Emmanuel Okuwadare Kayode, Fatai Akin, and their driver, Yusuf—were seized around 11:40 a.m. by suspected bandits.

Speaking to journalists in Ilorin on Monday, the families, led by Mr. Dare Boyinbogun, accused the state government of neglect and said the kidnappers had contacted them with the exorbitant ransom demand.

“Since that moment, our lives have been suspended between hope and despair. They demanded N500 million from us. How are we going to raise that?” Boyinbogun lamented. He described the victims as hardworking, law-abiding citizens contributing to the development of Kwara State.

He highlighted the psychological and economic toll the abduction has had on the families. “Every passing hour deepens the trauma, especially for the wives, children, and elderly parents who rely entirely on these men. Many families now face hunger, anxiety, and total uncertainty,” he said.

The families appealed to the Kwara State Government and security agencies to intensify rescue efforts and treat the abduction as a top-priority emergency. “We are appealing to the government to come to our aid, establish direct communication with the families, provide welfare support, and strengthen security along construction corridors and rural roads,” Boyinbogun added.

Directly addressing the kidnappers, he said: “These men are fathers, sons, and brothers. Please release them unharmed.” Among those pleading for their loved ones’ release was Idayat Lade, wife of one of the victims, who revealed she lost a baby due to the trauma of the abduction.

Separately, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the recent attack on women protesting near the under-construction Government House in Ilorin. A viral video showed suspected hoodlums assaulting the protesters during the Christmas holiday.

In a statement, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said AbdulRazaq expressed outrage over the incident, describing it as unacceptable. “Peaceful protest is a democratic right. The women are within their rights to express their views. We distance ourselves from the incident, as it does not represent our values as a government,” the statement read.

The governor has directed the police to identify and prosecute those responsible.

Ajakaye also noted that the government recently increased security across the state, including deploying armed forest guards to flush out kidnappers and terrorists from forested areas.