President of the Afenifere Youth Council, Eniola Ojajuni, has stirred fresh controversy after revealing that four traditional rulers in Ondo State are allegedly in collaboration with kidnappers, particularly in the Northern Senatorial District of the state.
Ojajuni, who revealed this barely three months after regaining freedom from his abductors, alleged that the four months were from the Akoko-speaking area of Ondo North and were allegedly aiding the Fulani herdsmen who have been fingered in several abductions across the state.
In a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation shared by a prominent Ondo-based lawyer, Morayo Babaleye, on Tuesday, Ojajuni said: our Obas are working with the Fulani herdsmen from Ondo North,” Ojajuni reportedly said in the chat. “We don’t want to talk because the governor is from Ilaje Local Government. If anyone insults Ilaje, I will come out.”
The Yoruba group leader further reinforced his claim in a video released on Monday, where he questioned why neither the Ondo State Government nor security agencies have invited him for a formal debrief or investigation following his ordeal.
“I will be waiting for the update on the issue when Ondo State police invite me for an investigation,” he added.
The allegation has triggered a wave of reactions across the state, with many indigenes and stakeholders demanding that Ojajuni reveal the names of the traditional rulers allegedly involved in the criminal network.
Reacting to the development, Babaleye described Ojajuni’s kidnapping as “special”, noting that the real-time media coverage and video evidence during the abduction made it unlike any other in recent times.
“He must have engaged very well with the kidnappers to the extent that names of four Obas were mentioned to him as collaborators,” Babaleye stated. “He has to help us in Ondo North with more information in a matter of days as an end must be found to this scourge. We need to know those four Obas immediately.”
It would be recalled that Ojajuni was abducted while traveling from Ondo State to Abuja, spent 12 harrowing days in captivity before his release.
During his time in the kidnappers’ den, videos and pictures emerged showing him in distress, pleading with Nigerians to raise N100 million for his ransom.
As the security situation in Ondo State continues to raise concern, all eyes are now on the authorities to either debunk or investigate the damning allegations laid bare by Ojajuni.
