The family of a 24-year-old former National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Olusoji Adedapo, has been thrown into anguish following his abduction alongside nine other travellers by suspected terrorists in Ogun State.

The kidnappers have reportedly demanded a ransom of N25 million for Adedapo’s release, leaving his family scrambling to raise the money amid fears for his safety.

Adedapo, who completed his one-year national service in Edo State last week, was travelling from Benin City to Ibadan on Tuesday when the incident occurred at Ijebu Awa, a border community between Ogun and Oyo states.

According to his cousin, Adeseye Timilehin, the 24-year-old graduate had maintained regular communication with family members throughout the journey, sending videos and updates about the traffic situation along the route.

Timilehin said the journey became delayed by heavy traffic, with the passengers leaving Benin City much later than expected.

He disclosed that the travellers had reportedly appealed to the driver to return to Benin and continue the journey the following morning because of the lateness of the hour and security concerns, but the driver allegedly insisted on proceeding.

The attack occurred at about 7 p.m. when armed men reportedly emerged from the bush and confronted the vehicle.

According to Timilehin, Adedapo’s friend and fellow former corps member, identified as Tunde, who escaped the attack, narrated that the driver swerved off the road into the bush after the attackers appeared.

“The bandits jumped in front of their bus. The driver swerved into the bush and stopped. The rest ran for safety and were captured,” Timilehin recounted.

Tunde reportedly escaped by hiding in the bush and was later rescued, spending the night at a police station.

A joint search operation involving police officers and local vigilantes was subsequently conducted in the forest, but the abducted passengers were not found.

On Wednesday morning, Adedapo’s mother, aunt and a family friend travelled from Ibadan to Awa-Ijebu in search of information about his whereabouts.

However, they were reportedly handed his luggage at the police station and advised to return home while efforts were made to establish contact with the kidnappers.

The family received its first ransom demand while returning to the motor park, with the abductors initially demanding N20 million.

Timilehin said the family pleaded with the kidnappers, explaining that they could not afford such an amount.

During the conversation, the family briefly heard Adedapo’s voice, confirming that he was still alive.

However, shortly after the family returned to Ibadan, the kidnappers reportedly called again and increased their demand to N25 million before ending the call.

The situation reportedly became more distressing on Thursday morning when the abductors contacted the family again, warning that failure to raise the money would have serious consequences.

Timilehin said Adedapo was later allowed to speak with his mother and appealed to her to contact his elder brother and seek assistance from his friends.

He also spoke with Timilehin, pleading with him to reach out to everyone who could help secure his release.

“I told him we had only been able to raise N700,000. His voice was shaking throughout the conversation. He pleaded with me to contact everybody I could,” Timilehin said.

According to him, Adedapo called again later in the evening to find out how much the family had raised. When he was informed that no additional money had been secured, he ended the call.

The family has since been making frantic efforts to mobilise funds from relatives, friends and well-wishers to meet the ransom demand.

Describing the emotional trauma the family is experiencing, Timilehin said Adedapo was more than a cousin to him, adding that their families were closely related.

“Dapo is not just my cousin. He is my elder brother. His parents are my immediate siblings,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Police Command has confirmed that investigations into the incident are ongoing.

The command’s spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi Ogunnaike, said security operatives were working to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack and secure the release of the abducted travellers.

The abduction has left the families of the 10 victims in distress as they await news of their loved ones and hope for their safe return.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will secure victory across the South-South geopolitical zone in the January 16, 2027 elections.

Akpabio made the prediction on Saturday at the Rivers State Rainbow Coalition rally held at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, where he attributed the anticipated electoral success to the prevailing peace and political unity among stakeholders in the region.

He declared that Rivers State had provided the political atmosphere needed to deliver President Tinubu for a second term, expressing confidence that the cooperation among political leaders and stakeholders across the South-South would translate into electoral victory for the APC.

“Mr President, the ingredient needed in this zone, particularly Rivers State, to return you to the Villa on the 16th of January, 2027, is here, and that is peace,” Akpabio said.

He recalled that Rivers State was the only state in the South-South where the APC secured victory in the 2023 presidential election, insisting that the state’s political support for Tinubu could be sustained in the forthcoming election.

Akpabio also urged Rivers people to support the President, citing the appointment of former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as evidence of Tinubu’s confidence in the state.

According to him, Wike’s performance in Abuja demonstrates the President’s ability to appoint capable individuals to strategic positions, while the ongoing development projects in the FCT further justify the administration’s confidence in his leadership.

The Senate President also highlighted the administration’s educational interventions, particularly the student loan scheme, noting that more than 100,000 students from Rivers State had benefited from the initiative and other educational support programmes.

He further defended the administration’s economic reforms, claiming that Nigeria’s foreign reserves had risen from $4.5 billion to over $50 billion under Tinubu’s leadership.

On tax reforms, Akpabio said the government had consolidated the country’s previously ok fragmented tax structure, resulting in increased revenue generation. He also identified the removal of fuel subsidy as a measure aimed at tackling corruption and improving government finances.

He added that the proposed coastal road project, which passes through Rivers State, would stimulate commercial activities, expand economic opportunities and accelerate development along the coastline.

Akpabio called on people of the South-South to remain supportive of the Tinubu administration, describing its policies as measures intended to improve the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.

He maintained that despite the APC’s popularity and control of the Federal Government, its members would continue campaigning to consolidate support ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Senate President expressed optimism that the political gatherings in Akwa Ibom and Rivers states would yield the desired results, praying that President Tinubu and the APC would celebrate victory on January 16, 2027.

•  Targets 520 beneficiaries across 260 wards; says intervention will promote grassroots enterprise, reduce poverty

The Enugu State Government has distributed 520 grinding machines to indigent and vulnerable residents across the state as part of Governor Peter Mbah’s administration’s sustained efforts to reduce poverty, promote economic inclusion and expand livelihood opportunities at the grassroots.

The intervention, which covers all 260 electoral wards in the 17 local government areas, provides two grinding machines to beneficiaries in each ward and is designed to equip disadvantaged residents with productive assets to establish small businesses, generate income and improve their living conditions.

The initiative was formally launched on Tuesday to commemorate the 2026 International Day of the Poor.

Governor Mbah, who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said the programme reflected his administration’s commitment to building an inclusive and prosperous Enugu State where every citizen, irrespective of social or economic circumstances, has the opportunity to improve their standard of living.

He explained that the distribution went beyond the provision of equipment, describing it as a practical investment in the economic independence of vulnerable households and an effort to ensure that the benefits of governance were felt directly at the grassroots.

The governor noted that providing beneficiaries with productive assets would enable them to establish viable micro-enterprises, earn sustainable incomes, support their families and contribute to the state’s broader economic development.

In her keynote address, the Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Poverty Eradication, Prof. Benedette Okoli, disclosed that the beneficiaries were selected from the Enugu State Social Register of the Poor and Vulnerable, compiled by the State Operations Coordinating Unit.

She stressed that the selection was based on verified data and established vulnerability criteria, insisting that political affiliation, favouritism and personal connections played no part in determining those who benefited from the programme.

Prof. Okoli urged the recipients to make productive use of the equipment, maintain them properly and seize the opportunity to establish sustainable businesses capable of generating regular income and improving their families’ welfare.

She assured residents that the state government would continue to introduce and expand targeted interventions aimed at creating economic opportunities for disadvantaged groups and addressing poverty across the state.

In their goodwill messages, the Chairman of the Ezeagu Local Government Area Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Emmanuel Anichebe; Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke; and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Robert Ozongwu, commended Governor Mbah for the initiative.

They described the intervention as timely and impactful, noting that the provision of productive equipment would stimulate small-scale economic activities, ease the financial difficulties confronting vulnerable households and improve the livelihoods of beneficiaries.

Two beneficiaries, Mr. Peter Chime from Obuofia-Awkunanaw and Mrs. Virginia Nwachukwu from Obe community, expressed gratitude to the governor, describing the gesture as an opportunity to become economically productive and financially independent.

They said the grinding machines would enable them to establish small businesses, generate regular income and provide better support for their families, pledging to put the equipment to effective use.

The beneficiaries also pledged their support for Governor Mbah’s re-election, President Bola Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2027 general elections, describing their commitment as an expression of appreciation for the administration’s intervention.

The Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Poverty Eradication reiterated the state government’s determination to sustain and broaden its empowerment initiatives as part of its comprehensive strategy to tackle poverty, strengthen household economies and improve the welfare of vulnerable residents.