Lagos, Nigeria – March 16, 2025
Prince Eniola Ojajuni, the National Youth President of Afenifere, has issued a passionate call for urgent security reforms following his harrowing experience in the hands of Fulani herdsmen in Ondo State.
Speaking to the press, Ojajuni recounted his abduction on February 17 near Akunu Akoko, Ondo State, where armed kidnappers ambushed his vehicle and shot at it 19 times. Despite being near a military checkpoint, the assailants, disguised in military uniforms, managed to abduct him and several others, subjecting them to brutal torture for 12 days.
“I was beaten 72 times daily and suffered two gunshot wounds, one nearly hitting my spinal cord,” Ojajuni revealed, adding that the kidnappers operated with advanced weaponry and technological surveillance to track communications.
He disclosed that organized kidnapping camps are now widespread in the Southwest, with Ondo State housing 27 such camps, followed by Ekiti (16), Osun (7), and Ogun (5). According to Ojajuni, the criminals are planning to intensify abductions in Ondo and Lagos States, particularly targeting major roads like the Sagamu–Ijebu Ode axis.
Calling for immediate government action, he urged the Southwest Governors’ Forum to convene a regional security summit involving youth representatives. He also proposed the creation of a Southwest Youth Security Network, working alongside the Nigeria Police and Forest Guards, to bolster intelligence gathering and surveillance.
Ojajuni criticized the Ondo State government for its slow response to the crisis and warned that unless decisive steps are taken, more innocent lives will be endangered. He called on the federal government to deploy additional security personnel, enhance intelligence operations, and dismantle criminal networks hiding in forests across the region.
“The time for action is now,” he declared. “We must rise to defend our communities and secure a safer future for all.”
