The family of Pa. Dada James Ogunyanda, the Obalohun of Okoloke community in Yagba West Local Government of Kogi State, is living through a nightmare. Their patriarch, a first-class traditional ruler was abducted at 2am on the 15th of May, 2025.
Hooded men stormed his palace, dragged him away, and vanished into the night. Since then, the kidnappers have refused to back down from their N50 million demand. The family says they have managed to gather N25 million, but the abductors won’t budge.
“As of Sunday, the family members have raised the sum of N25m, but the kidnappers are insisting on N50m. They originally demanded N100m.”
Meanwhile, media reports claiming the ransom had been slashed to N12 million have been dismissed as false. The palace says there’s no such deal.
What cuts deeper, the family revealed, is the silence from political allies. Some have refused to take their calls. Others have blocked their lines entirely.
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The monarch’s health is reportedly declining, and his family fears time is slipping away.
Now they are calling out to Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Sunday Karimi, Hon Leke Abejide, Hon Faleke, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Oduaghan, and other political figures in the state. They are also pleading with pastors and Imams to continue praying for divine intervention.
“We are also appealing to the security agencies to intensify their efforts to rescue the old man alive and unhurt.
We value him so much. We are praying that God will give the security agencies upper hand in their work to rescue all victims in captivity.”
The race to save Obalohun continues.