A member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Rofiat Lawal, who was kidnapped along the Benin-Ore Expressway on Tuesday, has finally regained her freedom after her family managed to raise and pay a ransom of N1.1 million. Lawal was travelling from Benin, Edo State, to Ibadan, Oyo State, where she was set to resume at her place of primary assignment when she was abducted by gunmen.
The kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N20 million, an amount her family could not afford.
Desperate to secure her release, the family and friends of Lawal engaged in intense negotiations with the kidnappers. After several back-and-forth discussions, the ransom demand was eventually reduced to N5 million. However, the family still struggled to gather the amount.
A close friend of Lawal, identified as Agbakwara, who was actively involved in the efforts to secure her release, shared details of the incident.
He revealed that on Friday morning, the kidnappers increased pressure on them, warning that if the ransom was not paid soon, they might never see Lawal again. This caused panic among her loved ones, leading to urgent calls for financial assistance.
“In desperation, I reached out to everyone I could—her colleagues from school, the Muslim association, her friends from her hometown, my fans, and her family,” Agbakwara wrote in a social media post.
He said through collective efforts and contributions from well-meaning individuals, they were able to raise the N1.1 million by Friday afternoon. The money, he said was sent at 4:20 pm to an account provided by the kidnappers. The account reportedly belonged to a man identified as Isaac Ayo, who claimed his sister had also been kidnapped and that he would help in delivering the ransom.
The friend revealed that Lawal and other kidnapped victims were eventually released late on Friday night. The family was reportedly notified around 10 pm of her freedom.
“For hours, we anxiously waited. Finally, at around 10 pm, we received the long-awaited call: they had been released and taken to the hospital.
“This morning, we got another call confirming that Rofiat was on her way home, and the others had also safely returned to their families.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed, shared the news, and tagged the necessary authorities. Your support made this possible,” he said.
