Families of five construction workers kidnapped in Kwara State have issued an emotional plea for government intervention following a N500 million ransom demand from their abductors. The workers were seized on December 15, 2025, while working on a state government road project along the Sabaja/Owa-Onire Road in Isin Local Government Area.

At a press conference in Ilorin on Monday, family spokesperson Mr. Dare Boyinbogun identified the victims as Ademola Afolabi, Abdullahi Lade, Emmanuel Okuwadare Kayode, Fatai Akin, and their driver, Yusuf. The families expressed frustration over what they described as government neglect, revealing that the kidnappers have refused to negotiate with them, insisting on dealing directly with the state government.

One of the victims' wives, Idayat Lade, shared the devastating personal toll of the crisis, revealing that she lost her baby due to the extreme emotional trauma caused by the abduction. The families are now calling for a top-priority emergency rescue operation and immediate welfare support for the households left without breadwinners.

"Since that moment, our lives have been suspended between hope and despair. They demanded the sum of 500m from us. How are we going to raise that?" he lamented.

According to him, the victims were innocent workers contributing to the development of Kwara State and Nigeria.

"They were not criminals or adventurers. They went to work believing they would return home safely. Instead, their families have been thrown into anguish and despair," he added.

While acknowledging the efforts of the police and other security agencies, Boyinbogun stressed that time was running out.

"Every passing hour deepens the trauma of the families, especially the wives, children and elderly parents who depend entirely on these men for survival.

"Many of these families have no other source of income. Beyond fear for their lives, there is now hunger, psychological distress and total uncertainty," he said.

The families, including wives and children of the abducted workers, appealed to the Kwara State Government and security agencies to intensify rescue efforts and treat the abduction as a top-priority emergency.

"We are appealing to the government to come to our aid. The government needs to establish direct communication with the affected families, provide welfare support and counselling, and strengthen security along construction corridors and rural roads to prevent further attacks," he said.

Appealing directly to the abductors, Boyinbogun said, "These men are fathers, sons and brothers. Please release them unharmed."

One of the wives, Idayat Lade, in tears, has pleaded for the release of her husband.

"Please let them release our husbands to us. We want them alive," she cried, revealing that she had lost a baby due to the emotional trauma caused by the abduction.

Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has ordered the police to fish out hoodlums who attacked women protesters near the under-construction Government House in Ilorin.

A viral video obtained by The PUNCH showed suspected hoodlums assaulting women who were protesting near the Government House gate during the Christmas holiday.

In a statement on Monday, the Governor's Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said AbdulRazaq expressed outrage over the incident, describing the attack as unacceptable.

"Peaceful protest is a democratic right. The women are within their rights to express their views. We distance ourselves from the incident, as it does not represent our values as a government," the statement read.

The governor directed the police to identify and prosecute those responsible, adding that the government was not relenting on security.

Ajakaye noted that the governor had recently led the passing-out parade of armed forest guards tasked with flushing out kidnappers and terrorists from forests across the state, alongside increased deployment of security personnel to protect communities.