The Chairman of Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, Garba Olayinka Agbelere, has admitted that local governments sometimes contribute towards ransom payments to secure the release of kidnapped victims but keep such interventions secret from the public.
Agbelere made the disclosure during a telephone conversation with SaharaReporters while responding to allegations that he advised the family of four persons abducted in Abangbe Village to raise the ₦50 million ransom demanded by their captors.
The victims, identified as Abike, Semiu, Sofiat and Ramadan, were reportedly abducted by suspected bandits on October 25, 2026, in Abangbe Village, near Oke-Oyi, in Ilorin East Local Government Area.
The family had said it sent a representative to the local government secretariat to seek government intervention and financial assistance but was allegedly advised to find a way to pay the ransom, as the government could not defeat the bandits at the moment.
However, Agbelere denied discussing the ransom with the family during his visit to the community, maintaining that residents only appealed for improved security.
The chairman explained that he was away when the attack occurred but sent a representative to sympathise with the victims’ relatives before subsequently visiting the community alongside the Commissioner, Ali Jimoh.
“I was even wondering. The moment this matter (bandit attack) happened, I was not even around. I had to send someone to go there to condole with them first. Then secondly, I called the ward chairman (of our party), the councillor, to ask them to go there, that I would visit them any moment from now,” he said.
“The moment I came back, I called Honourable Ali, the commissioner who came from their place. I was aware of the incident. We went there together to console with them.”
Agbelere said he advised residents to take collective responsibility for their security, arguing that the government could not provide protection everywhere simultaneously.
“When I reached them, I was only advising them that everybody needs to be vigilant. I told them, like in my own community where I come from, we contribute money to buy guns to protect our people from these bandit attacks.
“I told them that the government cannot do everything. You cannot leave everything in the hands of the government because we cannot be everywhere at a time,” he added.
He maintained that the victims’ relatives did not mention the ransom demand during his visit and that he was unaware of the amount being demanded by the kidnappers.
The council chairman, however, acknowledged that he had planned to send the ward chairman to the affected family to provide financial assistance.
He subsequently disclosed that local governments sometimes contribute money towards ransom payments to help secure the release of abducted persons, although such interventions are deliberately kept from public knowledge.
“We can’t pay all the ransom; we can only contribute. This is what I have always done for people who have the same issues: to contribute towards helping them pay the ransom from the local government,” he said.
“You know it is not good for us to let people know we are paying these ransoms as government. But we do it silently just to help them. But we can’t mention the amount we paid to them.”
Agbelere said he was surprised by the family’s account of its encounter with the local government, insisting that ransom payments were never discussed with him during his visit.
His admission has raised questions about the involvement of public authorities in Kwara State and other parts of Nigeria in financing ransom payments, particularly amid concerns over the secrecy surrounding such interventions.
Under Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, paying ransom to kidnappers or terrorists is a criminal offence punishable by a minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment.
The legislation criminalises transferring funds, making payments or colluding with abductors, kidnappers or terrorists to secure the release of persons who have been unlawfully confined or kidnapped.
On April 27, 2022, the Senate passed the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2013 (Amendment) Bill, introducing an amendment to Section 14 that prescribed a minimum 15-year prison sentence for anyone found guilty of paying ransom or colluding with kidnappers to secure the release of abducted persons.
The provision states: “Anyone who transfers funds, makes payment or colludes with an abductor, kidnapper or terrorist to receive any ransom for the release of any person who has been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidnapped is guilty of a felony and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years.”
Former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, into law on May 12, 2022. The Act repealed and replaced the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011, and its 2013 amendments, incorporating the provision prescribing a minimum 15-year prison sentence for ransom payments.
The disclosure also comes amid growing insecurity in parts of Kwara State, where residents have repeatedly raised concerns over attacks, abductions and the financial burden placed on families forced to negotiate with armed groups.
As of the time of filing this report, the families of the four abducted persons had appealed to the government and security agencies to urgently intervene and secure their safe release.
