By 𝔸bdulrazak Tomiwa

In a chilling firsthand account of Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis, 26-year-old farm Manager, Gbolahan Olaniyi has detailed his 42 days in captivity, a period marked by brutal torture, the execution of a coworker, and a miraculous escape sparked by a rift among his captors.

The ordeal began on October 23, 2025, at a farm in Oke Ako, Ikole Local Government Area, when seven gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles ambushed Olaniyi and a tractor operator.

The victims were marched into the dense forests bordering Ekiti and Kogi states, where the kidnappers initially demanded a combined ransom of N150 million.

The situation turned dire when Olaniyi’s employer reportedly blocked the kidnappers’ numbers after a failed initial negotiation. While Olaniyi’s family managed to raise N15 million and deliver supplies, the bandits callously dismissed the payment as “incomplete,” demanding an additional N55 million while continuing to brutalize him.

The most traumatic moment occurred when the tractor operator’s boss stated he could only raise N2 million.

The bandit leader reportedly declared the amount “was not money” before shooting the operator twice in the chest. Olaniyi, overcome with terror, admitted he “peed on himself” as he was forced to dispose of his colleague’s corpse in the bush.

Throughout the 42 days, Olaniyi was kept in chains and fed a single daily ration of plain white rice. He witnessed the arrival of dozens of other captives, including 38 victims from a church attack in Kwara State, for whom a massive N350 million ransom was allegedly paid.

The tide finally turned due to internal greed. An “errand boy” for the gang, furious after receiving only N15,000 out of a fresh N2 million ransom payment, abandoned his post. Before leaving, he intentionally left the keys to the victims’ shackles within reach.

Seizing the opportunity, Olaniyi and two other captives unlocked their chains and fled into the wilderness. They trekked through the forest for three days, surviving on river water, until they reached a plantation in Isanlu-Esa, Kogi State, where they were assisted by local farmers and eventually rescued by the Nigerian Army.

Though now safe and reunited with his family, Olaniyi remains deeply traumatized. He reports being unable to sleep and living in constant fear, a haunting reminder of the 42 days he spent on the brink of death.