Olayiwola Matthew
The seven construction workers kidnapped from a Kwara State Government road project have regained freedom after weeks in captivity.
The workers were abducted on December 15, 2025, while working on the Sabaja-Owa-Onire Road in Isin Local Government Area, sparking widespread concern among residents and the victims’ families.
The Press Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Olajide Abolarin, confirmed the workers‘ release in a statement issued Monday in Ilorin, saying the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Abdulquawy Olododo, announced their freedom was secured through joint efforts by the state government and security agencies.
Olododo described the development as a major boost to the state’s public safety efforts, commending Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for demonstrating strong political will in tackling insecurity.
He also revealed that two of the abducted workers were engineers employed by the Kwara State Ministry of Works, noting that their experience highlighted the risks faced by personnel working on public infrastructure projects.
“We are grateful to His Excellency and to the security agencies. We also appreciate everyone who stood by us in these trying times,” the commissioner said.
The abduction had earlier drawn public attention after families of the victims raised alarm over what they described as slow rescue efforts, alleging that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of N500m.
Recall that the families’ spokesperson, Dare Boyinbogun, told journalists on December 29, 2025, that the gunmen stormed the construction site at about 11:40am and forcefully took away several workers and their driver.
“Since that moment, our lives have been suspended between hope and despair. They demanded the sum of N500 million from us. How are we going to raise that?” Boyinbogun said.
He stressed that the victims were ordinary workers contributing to the development of Kwara State, lamenting that their families were plunged into fear, hunger and emotional distress during the period of captivity.
The families had appealed to the state government and security agencies to intensify rescue operations, an appeal that has now been met with relief following the safe return of the abducted workers.