The daughter of former All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Mrs. Funmilayo Olawumi, has openly accused Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji of being connected to her mother’s alleged abduction, describing the incident as a politically motivated operation aimed at silencing her.
Speaking through tears during an interview with SaharaTV on Monday, Ololade Adeyemiyi alleged that despite official denials, the Ekiti State Government could not be separated from the circumstances surrounding her mother’s disappearance.
According to SaharaReporters, Ololade insisted that every event leading to the alleged abduction pointed to political persecution.
“When you connect all the dots, you can see everything is related. It is all political. The state government is involved. The governor is involved. Everybody is involved,” she alleged.
Ololade disclosed that her mother was allegedly abducted for a second time on Sunday evening at a guest house in Abuja by three unidentified men dressed in mufti.
She said the final message she received from her mother, sent at about 6:18 p.m., indicated that unknown men were attempting to force their way into her room.
“My mum sent me a message around 6:18 p.m. She said some people were trying to forcefully enter her room. That was the last message I got from her,” she recounted.
She explained that repeated calls to her mother’s phone yielded a disturbing response.
“The first time someone answered, a man picked up and asked who I was. I asked him who he was because I was calling my mother’s phone. He kept insisting I was calling his number. At that point, I already knew they had succeeded in entering the room,” she said.
According to SaharaReporters, Ololade revealed that her mother had abandoned her Abuja residence after unidentified persons allegedly attempted to force their way into the family home last Wednesday.
She said the family had become increasingly concerned for her mother’s safety following an earlier incident in July when she was allegedly taken away.
“Since the incident in July when she was first taken, she hasn’t been staying at home. She moved into a guest house here in Abuja for safety because they had already started trailing us. On Wednesday, they came to our house again and wanted to force their way in, but because we had CCTV cameras around, I guess they didn’t want to go through all that stress,” she said.
Ololade disclosed that by the time she arrived at the guest house, staff informed her that three men in civilian clothing had already taken her mother away.
She added that the men wore no official uniforms, making it impossible to determine whether they were operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, or officers of the Ekiti State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), whom she claimed arrested her mother previously.
“As I speak, we still don’t know where she is. I have been trying to obtain the CCTV footage from the guest house so we can at least identify the people who took her, but they have not been forthcoming. That is what we are working on this morning,” she stated.
She confirmed that her mother was alone at the time of the incident and lamented that the family had not heard from her since the distress message.
“Since then, we have not heard anything from her. There has been no call, no message, nothing,” she said.
Questioning how the alleged abductors gained access to the room, Ololade suggested there were glaring security lapses within the guest house.
“The receptionist and other staff said they saw them. They said there were about three men who came and took her away, but they couldn’t provide any further information.
“What I don’t understand is how they gained access to her room. Somebody must have given them a master key. There are so many loopholes. Something just doesn’t add up,” she added.
She further disclosed that although security personnel had been assigned to monitor her mother following earlier threats, they had deliberately maintained a distance to avoid drawing attention.
Ololade also said she had contacted senior police officers but received conflicting explanations from different security agencies regarding her mother’s whereabouts.
“I have reached out to contacts at the Inspector-General of Police’s office. Everybody keeps telling me they are working on it or trying to track her, but nobody is giving us a concrete answer.
“One person says the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) took her. Another says it was Force Intelligence. Others mention the RRS. How can everyone be giving different stories? If it is the police, someone should be able to tell us exactly where my mother is,” she said.
She disclosed plans to visit the Force Headquarters in Abuja to seek clarification.
Maintaining that the family’s ordeal was rooted in Ekiti politics, Ololade alleged that the intimidation began after her mother’s participation in the APC governorship primary election.
“I strongly believe it is connected to everything happening in Ekiti. From the APC primary election until now, this has been one incident after another.
“They came to our house in February and took my brother. Since then, there have been constant threats. My mother has simply been speaking out about the political situation in Ekiti and pursuing legal action over my brother’s alleged illegal abduction,” she alleged.
Making an emotional appeal, she urged authorities to ensure her mother’s safety and allow the family access to her.
“Our only demand is that my mother should be kept safe and that we should be allowed to see and speak with her.
“It has been more than 12 hours. None of her children has heard from her. We don’t know where she is. We don’t know who took her. We just want her back safely,” she pleaded.
As of the time of filing this report, the allegations made by Ololade Adeyemiyi remained claims by the family, and there has been no official confirmation from the authorities regarding Mrs. Olawumi’s whereabouts or the identities of those who allegedly took her away.