The crisis of kidnapping in Nigeria has evolved into a grim and sophisticated industry. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigerians paid an staggering ₦2.2 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024 alone. Behind these cold figures are thousands of individual tragedies—farmers, students, and parents whose lives are derailed in an instant. For those who manage to return, the cost is often measured in more than just money; they bring home a haunting trauma that lingers long after the physical chains are gone.
At Zoyols News, we believe in giving a voice to these statistics. This is the harrowing account of Gbolahan Olaniyi, who spent 42 days in captivity.
The nightmare began at 9:00 am on October 23, 2025, at a farm in Ikole Local Government, Ekiti State. Gbolahan was overseeing the maize harvest when he went to check on a tractor operator who hadn’t returned. Instead of the operator, he found himself surrounded by seven armed men. In that moment of sheer terror, Gbolahan knelt and pleaded for his life. The attackers seized his belongings, including 80,000 naira meant for his laborers, and tied him up alongside the operator.
The group was forced to trek into the wilderness, eventually stopping on a mountain where the captors interrogated them at gunpoint. While scrolling through Gbolahan’s phone, the kidnappers noticed a contact with a high-profile profile picture. This discovery led to an immediate ransom demand of 150 million naira for both men. Fearing a rescue attempt by security forces, the bandits forced the victims to walk barefoot deeper into the bush, picking up nine more unsuspecting farmers along the way.
By the fifth day, the group reached a base. Negotiations were frantic. Gbolahan’s mother, a trader who relied on loans, managed to raise 15 million naira—a sum that felt like a miracle given her circumstances. Along with the cash, the family delivered clothes, food, and electronics to a drop-off point in Kogi State. Gbolahan watched as his ransom arrived, expecting to be released the next morning. Instead, he was met with a brutal betrayal. The kidnappers claimed the payment was incomplete and demanded more.
The situation turned even darker for the tractor operator. Unable to remember his family’s phone numbers, he relied on Gbolahan’s phone to reach his employer. When the boss explained they could only raise 2 million naira, the kidnappers lost patience. In a moment that Gbolahan says still makes his body vibrate with fear, they shot the operator twice. The man died while the person on the other end of the phone listened in horror.
As weeks passed, others were released as their ransoms were paid. Gbolahan was eventually moved to a high-altitude camp where he was chained to the ground alongside two older men. He witnessed the arrival and departure of dozens of other victims, including a large group kidnapped from a church.
The breakthrough finally came after 39 days. One of the guards, frustrated by a dispute with his leader over the distribution of a 2 million naira payment, decided to abandon his post. He left behind the keys and a flashlight. Seizing the opportunity, Gbolahan and the remaining captives unchained themselves and ran. They wandered through the forest for hours, drinking from streams and fighting the urge to give up, until they stumbled upon a path that led to a group of farmers.
A young man on a bike eventually took them to Isanlu Esa in Kogi State, where they were handed over to the military. Gbolahan was finally reunited with his mother at a police station in Ado Ekiti, but the ordeal is far from over. Today, his mother is still struggling to repay the massive debts incurred to save his life. Gbolahan has since fled Ekiti, living in constant shadow of the past. He rarely goes out, haunted by the feeling of being watched and the memory of those 42 days that changed his world forever.
