Afenifere Youth Council President, Prince Eniola Ojajuni, has shared the horrifying details of his 12-day captivity after being kidnapped last month in Akuni, Ondo State.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Sunday, Ojajuni revealed that he suffered two gunshot wounds—one narrowly missing his spinal cord—and endured relentless physical abuse, including being beaten 72 times daily. He also witnessed fellow captives, particularly women, subjected to brutal mistreatment.

He described his abductors as heavily armed and highly coordinated, wielding over 20 AK-47 rifles and operating with precision. 

Ojajuni alleged that the kidnappers belong to a network of armed marauders with more than 55 camps spread across the Southwest.

Ojajuni said: “On February 17, 2025, I became a victim of the growing wave of kidnappings by Fulani herdsmen in Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria. My traumatic ordeal has strengthened my resolve to speak out against this escalating security crisis and to demand immediate and decisive action from the government and all relevant authorities.

“While traveling near Akunu Akoko, Ondo State, en route to Abuja, my vehicle was ambushed by armed Fulani herdsmen dressed in military uniforms, despite being near a military checkpoint. The attackers sprayed our vehicle with 19 bullets, wounding me and others before forcibly abducting us. 

He disclosed that his abductors initially demanded a N100 million but eventually released him after receiving N17 million with food and drinks from his wife. 

“After my wife told them all they could raise was N17 million, I was beaten mercilessly before they agreed to release me. They told my wife that in addition to the money, she should buy 20 wraps of fufu, soup and drinks for them”, he explained. 

He described how his ransom payment had to be relocated from Ikare to Ibilo after the kidnappers detected security forces tracking them.

“They realized that my phone was being tracked every time they put it on and relocated the place my ransom is to be made. The saddest thing is that this place is just behind a Correctional Service in Ondo, also not too far away from security checkpoints”. 

According to him, kidnappers have set up at least 55 camps across the South-West, strategically positioned for their operations.

The kidnappers, he disclosed, operated with sophisticated weaponry and advanced technological capabilities, using victims’ phones to track and monitor communications.

He expressed grave concern over the increasing audacity of the kidnappers, who allegedly boasted about plans to intensify abductions in Ondo and Lagos States, particularly along the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode Road.

“These criminals have established well organized kidnapping camps across Southwest Nigeria, strategically positioned for their operations.

In Ondo State- 27 camps, Ekiti State – 15 camps, Osun State – 7 camps, Ogun State – 5 camps. Their reign of terror targets innocent travelers, extorts families, and destabilizes communities with impunity. During my captivity, the kidnappers boasted of their plans to intensify abductions in Ondo and Lagos States, citing their hidden camps in these regions. They also revealed details of their operations along the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode Road, near Oso-Sa Ijebu, weeks before my abduction”, he disclosed. 

Prince Ojajuni, called for immediate and decisive action against the rising wave of kidnappings by armed marauders in Southwest Nigeria. 

“This intelligence should serve as a wake-up call to all security agencies and state governments in the Southwest. If urgent measures are not taken, more innocent lives will be at risk”, he added.

He urged the Southwest Governors’ Forum to immediately convene a regional security summit with youth representatives to address the crisis. 

He proposed the establishment of a Southwest Youth Security Network in collaboration with the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Forest Guards Team, which would focus on strengthening intelligence gathering, improving community surveillance, and ensuring swift reporting and response to suspicious activities. 

He also pledged to provide firsthand intelligence from his captivity to help security agencies dismantle the kidnappers’ operations.

Ojajuni criticized the Ondo State government for its “lack of urgency” in tackling the security crisis and urged the federal government to take immediate steps, including deploying additional security personnel to high-risk areas, establishing more security checkpoints on highways and forest borders, enhancing intelligence and surveillance operations, identifying and prosecuting collaborators aiding kidnappers, and conducting security sweeps across forests in Edo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ibilo, and Lagos.

He commended the Inspector General of Police for launching an intelligence-driven rescue operation and acknowledged the intervention of the Nigeria Forest Team. 

He, however, emphasized that more decisive action is required to curb the menace of kidnappings in the region.

Ojajuni expressed solidarity with the other captives, including seven men and two women who were abducted alongside him. 

He specifically mentioned Mrs. Ramota from Okitipupa, Ondo State, originally from Kwara State, and another abductee from Abuja, both of whom suffered severe abuse and are still receiving medical treatment.

The President, Coalition of Yoruba Youth Leaders, Tolani Hassan emphasized the need for immediate government intervention. 

Hassan stated that the coalition is the apex body representing Yoruba youth in Nigeria and the diaspora, with over 200 groups under its umbrella, including Afenifere. 

He called on the federal government to recognize the coalition’s role in the upcoming national youth conference, stressing that vital security information had been shared at the event, while more sensitive intelligence was being reserved for security purposes.

Hassan urged the federal government, the National Assembly, state houses of assembly, and security agencies to intensify efforts in combating insecurity. He highlighted the limitations of state governors due to the absence of state policing and called for a review of the system to allow states more control over security. 

Hassan also called for increased recruitment and better equipment for the police and the Amotekun Corps, questioning why Lagos State had yet to implement the security outfit.

He charged Southwest leaders, including governors, senators, and lawmakers, to uphold their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property. 

Stressing the urgency of the situation, he called for a national security meeting in the Southwest, declaring that Yoruba youths would no longer tolerate kidnappings, ritual killings, and human trafficking in the region.

“We don’t want to have this ugly incident again in the Southwest, and that is why we are saying this must be the end of every form of kidnapping in the region. The entire Yoruba youth are saying we don’t want this again in the Southwest, and we are demanding an end to kidnapping, child abuse, ritual killings, and all forms of insecurity. We want peace in the Southwest, and we are ready to take action to ensure it”, he added.