Gunmen who abducted seven residents of Erinmope-Ekiti in Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State have released six of the victims after collecting a ransom of N25 million.

However, one of the victims, identified as Hawau Suleiman, reportedly died in captivity, with her body yet to be recovered.

It would be recalled that on 24 January 2026, the gunmen stormed Erinmope-Ekiti and abducted five women, initially demanding N100 million for their release. Among those taken were a nursing mother and an expectant mother who was nine months pregnant at the time.

Two additional victims were later detained when the kidnappers rejected an initial ransom payment of N10 million brought to secure the release of the five women.

Narrating their ordeal on Thursday, one of the freed victims, Muhammad Saliu, said the abductors subjected them to inhumane treatment, depriving them of food and water for days.

He disclosed that the deceased woman died from exhaustion after being forced to trek long distances through the forest for nearly a month.

“We are pleading with the authorities concerned to assist us in recovering her body so that we can give her a proper burial,” he said.

Saliu further explained: “I was detained alongside my brother when we took the first tranche of N10 million to the kidnappers in a bid to secure the release of the five members of our family who had earlier been abducted.

“We met the earlier abducted members in the jungle, but we were not allowed to interact with them. My brother and I were tied together, and the kidnappers ordered us to embark on a journey to nowhere.

“We trekked several kilometres barefoot, from a forest in Kwara to the Kogi axis, with little hope of surviving the ordeal.

“Before we embarked on the journey, the kidnappers — who usually operated in shifts and spoke English as well as other Nigerian languages — kept watch over us.

“As we moved, we became extremely weak, and the deceased woman collapsed.

“We pleaded with them to allow us to carry her on our backs, but they threatened to kill us. They ordered us to continue moving without looking back. That was how we were forced to abandon her.”

Describing the experience as harrowing, Saliu added: “It was the worst experience anyone could imagine. I was eventually freed in the Idofin area of Kwara, while others were released in Kogi State. My brother and I spent 11 days in captivity, while the five women earlier abducted spent roughly a month, having been kidnapped on 24 January 2026.”

On whether they could assist security agencies with useful information to locate where the deceased was abandoned, Saliu said it would be difficult due to the remoteness of the forest.

He added that the expectant mother who regained her freedom alongside the others had been taken to an undisclosed hospital for proper medical attention. (Nigerian Tribune)