The National President of the Afenifere National Youth Council, Prince Eniola Joseph Ojajuni, is pleading for help after being abducted by gunmen who have threatened to kill him if a ₦100 million ransom is not paid by 3 p.m. today, Monday, 24 February 2025.
In a viral video seen by KOIKI Media, a gunmen was aiming an AK-47 at Ojajuni’s chest as the exhausted and visibly distressed hostage appeals to Nigerians to contribute whatever they could to save his life.
“Nigerians, please help me! Your donation—₦100,000, ₦50,000, or ₦1,000,000—can go a long way in saving my life,” he pleaded in the video. “My name is Prince Eniola Ojajuni. God bless you. Aderohunmu, please help me spread this video.”
Afenifere National Youths Council had announced Ojajuni’s abduction in a statement last Thursday, noting that he was kidnapped on Monday, February 17, 2025.
Abiodun Aderohunmu, the National Secretary of the Afenifere National Youths Council, also confirmed in the statement that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of ₦100 million.
The kidnappers also issued a 48-hour ultimatum, threatening to kill him if a ransom of ₦100 million was not paid, in a very tense negotiation.
In a phone call, recorded and obtained by KOIKI Media, Prince Ojajuni, who was speaking in distress, stated that the kidnappers had demanded ₦100 million and had already shot him in the buttock.
During the call, one of the family members spoke with a a suspected kidnapper and pleaded for a reduction in the ransom amount.
“Please, what can you do for us? How do we pay?” the family member asked. “We don’t have that kind of money. We are planning to sell a small piece of family land in the village. If we sell it, we’ll see how much we can raise. How do we bring the money? Where do we pay?”
The kidnapper declared: “You must pay in cash.”
The family member pleaded further, “Please, can you accept ₦10 million? That’s all we can raise.”
The kidnapper refused, saying: “God forbid bad thing. If you continue talking nonsense, I swear to Almighty God you won’t hear from me again. The last price my boss gave me is ₦100 million, but if you can raise something better, let me know.”
As the family continued pleading, the kidnappers threatened to harm Prince Ojajuni further.
In another recorded conversation with a senior family member, Prince Ojajuni explained, “When the network issues started on Sunday, I even wanted to travel that day. But something told me not to go, so I canceled my flight and rescheduled it for Monday at 6:15 a.m. However, MTN and GTB started having network problems. My meeting was at 10:00 a.m. at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce, and the Director-General called to say they were expecting me. So, I left home. It was between Ondo and Kabba that they shot at us. I’m bleeding now.”
When asked if the kidnappers blocked the road, Prince Ojajuni replied, “No, they just shot at us. I’m bleeding, and they’re demanding ₦100 million.”
A family member then cut in asking, “Where are we going to get that kind of money? Can I speak to the leader?”
“Sir, please, what can you do for us? I’ve been calling his number since the day before yesterday. I don’t know what’s happening, and I’m not okay. He has already told me what happened, but that amount—where are we going to get it in this Nigerian economy? He has no money. He has nothing. Please, reduce the amount.”
The kidnap leader responded, “If he has nothing, listen carefully. I’m not forcing you to look for money. But if you don’t have it, I still have bullets. I already shot him once, and I can add another bullet to make it three.”
The family begged, “Please, for Christ’s sake, don’t harm him. What can we do to reduce the amount?”
The kidnapper then revealed that someone had paid them ₦50 million to abduct and kill Ojajuni.
“Let me tell you the secret. Someone paid us ₦50 million to kidnap him and kill him. We were instructed to cut off his head, his manhood, and remove his eyes for them to collect. If you don’t pay, forget about this man.”
In the desperate conversation, Prince Ojajuni urged his family to reach out to Nigerian human rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, for help.
“They have given me a 48-hour ultimatum. If the ransom is not paid, they will kill me. This is my last chance,” Ojajuni said.
Police and military authorities couldn’t be reached for comments on this incident.
INSECURITY AND VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA
For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups.
Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.
It remains unclear why kidnappers and terrorists in Nigeria are not being tracked and arrested even as these criminals use mobile phones and local networks to communicate with kidnapped victims’ families and post videos on social media platforms, especially TikTok.
Instead, Nigerian security agencies are always quick to track and arrest journalists and dissents – mostly in a gestapo-like manner, with a report saying Nigeria is one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, who are regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested.
[1 U.S. Dollar = 1,498.31 Nigerian Naira]
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