Kidnapping of Mrs. Dolapo Eunice Animashaun: A Detailed Account of the Ordeal and Ransom Negotiation

Mrs Dolapo Eunice Animashaun was kidnapped on 5th of May 2022 on her way home from work along Akala Express road Ibadan which is about (14.5km) at 20:45hrs. She is self-employed and she sells food stuffs and drinks at her shop in Orita Challenge Ibadan, she left the shop around 20:25hrs and the kidnapping happened around 20:45hrs with three armed men in a black tinted Toyota Camry and another two on a motor-cycle, the motorcycle hit the wife’s car at the rear which she stopped to check the impact on her car’s bumper.

Within the twinkle of an eye the guys on the motorcycle brought out a gun and asked her to move into the waiting Toyota Corolla behind the motorcycle where three men were seated and they sped off immediately.

On his( Olayiwola Sultan Animashaun) way home from work,he was told there was a kidnapping along his route and he called his wife:s mobile to inform her about it but the number was switched off, it was when he got to scene of the incident that he found his wife’s car Toyota Camry wine coloured widely opened in the middle of the road,this was around the hours of like 21:05hrs about twenty minutes after the incident.

Policemen attached to the Oluyole Police station visited the crime scene and took him (Olayiwola Sultan Animashaun) to the police station that night to make a formal report.

Mr Olayiwola Sultan Animashaun was contacted by one of the kidnappers who introduced himself as Mr Malik on the 3rd day 7th of May 2022 he demanded a ransom of 20 million naira and was sternly instructed and warned not to involve the police except he wanted his wife dead.

The husband negotiated for days and later paid the sum of #4.5m in cash on the 20th of May 2022. The drop off zone was the first bridge along Ibadan/Lagos Expressway at 21:00hrs without involving the authorities because he had heard and seen instances in our country where captives are killed by the kidnappers once they know the police are involved, so he was scared to inform the police about the ransom.

His wife was released on the 21st of May 2022 after he got a call from her using a strange number to call him around 05:30hrs to pick her along the Ibadan/Ife expressway, she was taken to the Iyaganku Police Station immediately and from there to the hospital.