It was gathered that his release involved the payment of a N110million ransom just hours before a military operation. A businessman abducted last month from Tsaragi community in the Edu Local Government Area has regained his freedom, SaharaReporters has learnt.
It was gathered that his release involved the payment of a N110million ransom just hours before a military operation.
The victim, Suleiman Ndana, popularly known as “Manager,” was reportedly among the captives rescued by the Nigerian Army on Friday.
A friend of the victim, who spoke with NupekoTV and confirmed the development, detailed the desperate circumstances surrounding the ransom payment.
He noted that the bandits issued severe threats as Nigerian Army troops intensified operations in the forest.
According to the friend, the kidnappers were under extreme pressure and allegedly vowed that even if they released other hostages, they would specifically kill Ndana if the agreed ransom was not paid immediately.
Facing the intense ultimatum, Ndana’s family and associates decided to pay the N110million ransom at an undisclosed location.
The military’s aggressive sweep through the forest, which pressured the bandits into making the threat, ultimately led to Ndana’s recovery shortly after the ransom exchange.
“The pressure was too much and they decided to pay the ransom,” the friend told NupekoTV.
Mr. Ndana, who was kidnapped from his residence around midnight on September 28, 2025, is currently receiving medical treatment at the State Capital, Ilorin, to aid his recovery.
His release adds another success story to the military’s ongoing Operation FANSAN YAMMA in Kwara North, but also highlights the difficult moral and tactical dilemma faced by families who are forced to pay large sums under threat to secure their loved ones’ lives.
SaharaReporters on Friday reported that hundreds of residents, including youth and community leaders of Patigi Local Government Area in same Kwara State, took to the streets to protest the worsening state of insecurity that had left their communities in fear and their hospital without doctors.
The protesters, carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, had gathered at the town center to express their frustration over what they described as unending killings and kidnappings that have plagued the area for months.
SaharaReporters reports that they accused the state government of neglecting the people of Patigi despite repeated appeals for intervention.
According to the demonstrators, the General Hospital in Patigi has been deserted by doctors who fled the town due to the escalating violence.
The protesters alleged that armed Fulani attackers had been terrorising their villages, making it unsafe for residents to go to their farms or move freely, especially at night.
They said they noticed new and unfamiliar faces among the Fulani settlers at Kara Market, sparking fears of more attacks.
Community elders, joining the youth in the protest, appealed to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to take immediate action to restore peace and security in the area.
They warned that unless urgent steps were taken, the insecurity could lead to total economic collapse in Patigi and other parts of Kwara North.
They noted that anyone claiming that Kwara State is peaceful is not telling the truth. The youths lamented that they are being killed and kidnapped daily, while people are forced to pay ransoms worth millions of naira as their investments continue to perish.
They also criticised Senator Sadiq Umar, who represents Kwara North Senatorial District, accusing him of misrepresenting the situation before the Senate.
The demonstrators called for the relocation of the Kara Market, which they said has become a hub for suspicious activities, and demanded the deployment of more security personnel to patrol rural communities and forest areas where kidnappers are believed to be operating from.