A retired Army Major, Joe Ajayi, who was abducted from his home in Odo-Ape in the Kabba-Bunu local government area of Kogi State a few weeks ago, has reportedly died in captivity.
Reports indicate that his lifeless body was returned to his family after they paid a ransom of ₦10 million for his release. Major Ajayi was taken on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, around 11:30 PM by armed assailants who fired shots indiscriminately during the incident.
Initially, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of ₦50 million, but the family struggled to meet this amount. Consequently, Major Ajayi’s health deteriorated due to a lack of access to necessary medication while in captivity
It was also reported that the kidnappers communicated to the family that their request for his medication to be sent to him would incur an additional charge, a concession that the family could not afford.
However, once the abductors realised that Ajayi’s condition was critical, they lowered the ransom to ₦10 million naira.
A community source revealed that the Ajayi family, under the impression that he was still alive, promptly consented to pay the reduced amount of ten million naira for his release.
“Once the ransom was paid, the kidnappers directed the family to where they would find him, only for them to meet his (Ajayi’s) lifeless body,” Vanguard quoted a source from the community as stating.
The remains of the retired army officer have been placed in the mortuary of Kabba Specialist Hospital.