Outrage In APC Ranks As Rauf Adeniji Dies After Days In Kidnappers’ Custody

The death of Rauf Adeniji, a top official of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has sparked deep mourning within the party and across the country.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Adeniji, who served as the APC’s Director of Administration, was abducted on January 26, alongside his cousin, Akinropo Adesiyan, and the latter’s wife, Esther Adesiyan, from their residence in Kubwa, located in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Aged 66, Adeniji had relocated to Kubwa after his appointment to the national role. His grim fate only came to light recently when his cousin, who was freed on April 7, revealed that Adeniji was killed shortly after the kidnapping.

According to Premium Times, authorities have kept details of the incident under wraps, possibly to prevent it from reflecting poorly on the APC-led federal government’s security performance. However, some party insiders have shared chilling accounts of what transpired. Jamiu Olawumi, a party chieftain familiar with the case, shed light on how the abduction unfolded and the tragic events that followed.

Olawumi recounted that the kidnappers gained access by pretending to be helpful citizens, claiming they were assisting in tracking down a suspect. Once the gates were opened, they swiftly overpowered Adeniji and his family. “No one knew what happened until the next morning, when someone stumbled upon the corpse of a woman, later identified as Mrs. Adesiyan, abandoned on a bush path,” Olawumi said.

Further revelations showed that Adesiyan was held captive for 32 days, during which he was chained, while the kidnappers demanded a ₦250 million ransom. Though the federal government had reportedly banned ransom payments, it is unclear whether any amount was eventually paid. According to Olawumi, the shock of witnessing his cousin’s wife’s gruesome murder was too much for Adeniji, who died from trauma just three hours later.

Adesiyan, along with 59 other victims, was rescued by troops of the Nigerian Army’s 1 Division on April 8. During the rescue operation, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu cautioned Nigerians against paying ransoms, warning that such actions only embolden kidnappers. “It is one of the worst things that is happening,” Ribadu remarked.

It later emerged that Adeniji had been dead for weeks before his cousin’s rescue. His passing has left his immediate family—his wife and children—devastated.

Tributes have since poured in from across political divides, including from Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, his predecessor Adegboyega Oyetola, and several APC stalwarts, all honoring Adeniji’s legacy and service to the nation.