A Lagos woman abducted from her home in the early hours of Wednesday has regained her freedom following the payment of a $17,500 ransom, her family has confirmed.
Mrs. Olanike Ogundare was seized around 1:00 a.m. from her residence at No. 1 Olufemi Ogundare Street in the Oke Agaye area of Ijedodo, Lagos State, by armed kidnappers who overpowered a security guard at gunpoint before whisking her away to an undisclosed location.
A family source confirmed her release on Saturday, saying the payment of the ransom was what ultimately secured her freedom despite earlier efforts to involve security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Community leaders had also been drawn into efforts to secure her release, among them Gani Adams, leader of the Oodua People’s Congress.
The kidnappers reportedly made contact with the family twice using the victim’s own phone, with communications routed through an intermediary identified as Mr. Dapo Adeola. Their initial demand stood at ₦60 million, but was subsequently converted to U.S. dollars — a move investigators believe may have been intended to complicate payment tracking and tracing efforts.
It was gathered that the victim’s husband had earlier transferred ₦5 million to Adeola in the course of negotiations before the final ransom sum was agreed upon and paid.
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