Families of abducted Naval officer, his wife and 16-year-old boy appeal to Tinubu, Makinde as kidnappers demand N100m ransom

An appeal has been made to President Bola Tinubu and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, for the rescue of a Nigerian Air Force officer, Squadron Leader Nurudeen Popoola; his wife, Ganiyat; and a 16-year-old 100-Level student of the Nigerian Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna, Abdulmugniy Folaranmi.

Nurudeen Popoola hails from Ile Iyalosa, Ebu Ikolaba, and Ekunle Iseyin; his wife comes from Ile Idi-Ape, Ijemba, Iseyin; while Folaranmi is from Oke-Oja, Iseyin, all in Oyo State. 

The couple was abducted from their home at the National Eyes Centre Quarters, Mando, Kaduna, on December 27, 2023, at about 1:00 a.m.

The abductors gave their families Thursday, January 18, as an ultimatum to pay N100 million ransom or have the victims killed.

A cousin to the Air Force officer, Olatunde Rafiu, who spoke with newsmen in Ibadan yesterday, said family members have made frantic efforts to reach out to the state governor through e-mail, as they could not meet with him physically.

Rafiu said the e-mail was sent to the governor, dated January 8, but there has not been any response.

He also appealed to Makinde to reach out to his Kaduna State counterpart, Uba Sani, to help save the victims.

“Since our brother and his wife with our young brother were kidnapped in the middle of the night of December 27, 2023, we have made all efforts to gather the money requested by the kidnappers, which is N100 million. But all we could get till this moment is just N20 million. For two weeks, the abductors did not call us till they did on Monday, telling us that they gave us till Thursday to come up with the money.

“We have made public appeals and called on people of means in the society to help secure the lives of our loved ones in captivity. Friends, extended family members have reached out, but we are still far from the amount demanded, which is N100 million, and we have only today left.

“We are renewing our appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our Governor, Seyi Makinde, to please help us do something within the little time left of the ultimatum given.”