Retired Army Major Joe Ajayi reportedly died in captivity after being kidnapped a few weeks ago from his home in Odo-Ape, which is in Kogi State’s Kabba-Bunu local government area.
According to reports, after his family paid a ₦10 million ransom to free him, Ajayi’s lifeless body was shown to them.
On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at around 11:30 PM, armed attackers abducted Major Ajayi from his home and opened fire randomly.
The first ransom demand of ₦50 million from the kidnappers reportedly remained unmet for a long time because the family was unable to pay; thus, his health deteriorated because he was unable to obtain the essential medication.
Additionally, it was alleged that the family was informed by the kidnappers that receiving his medication would come with an extra fee, which the family was unable to pay.
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But after seeing how serious Ajayi’s situation was, the kidnappers reduced the ransom to ₦10 million naira.
Assuming he was still alive, the Ajayi family quickly agreed to pay the reduced sum of ten million naira for his release, according to a community source.
According to a community source cited by Vanguard, “the kidnappers led the family to where they would find him after the ransom was paid, only for them to meet his (Ajayi’s) lifeless body.”
Kabba Specialist Hospital’s mortuary now houses the retired army officer’s bones.
The kidnapping of a well-known monarch, Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, the Oba Okoloke in the Yagba West Local Government Area, was believed to have increased in the state for a while. In early May, he was also seized from his home.
His release has not yet occurred.
However, Usman Ododo, the state governor, spoke to the populace at the Eid ground during the final Sallah in Okene and urged them to maintain their composure because efforts to eradicate criminal elements from the state are already yielding encouraging results.
I am retired. Joe Ajayi, sixty-six, was the former chairman of the Kabba/Bunu Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria.
