AbdulRauf Adeniji: “How APC Leader Died in Kidnappers’ Den,” Survivor Recounts Ordeal
- APC director of administration, Rauf Adeniji, who was kidnapped on January 26, 2025, has been confirmed dead, reportedly killed by his abductors during ransom negotiations
- The kidnappers deceived Adeniji and his cousin’s family by pretending to be vigilantes, gaining entry to their home before abducting them and eventually killing Adeniji and his cousin’s wife, Esther Adesiyan
- Adeniji’s death was confirmed after the rescue of 60 captives by the Nigerian Army on April 8, but an APC chieftain, Jamiu Olawumi, in an interview, shared more about the incident
TheTalk.NG journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
The death of Rauf Adeniji, a prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has sent shockwaves through the party and the nation.
APC chieftain shared how AbdulRauf Adeniji died in kidnappers’ den.
Photo credit: @OfficialAPCNgSource: Twitter
Mr Adeniji, who served as the party’s Director of Administration, was kidnapped on January 26, 2025, along with his cousin, Akinropo Adesiyan, and his wife, Esther Adesiyan, in their home in Kubwa, Bwari Council Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
AbdulRauf Adekunle Adeniji, who was kidnapped some weeks ago, was said to have been killed last month.
How kidnappers killed APC director
According to Vanguard, the kidnappers were said to have killed the APC chieftain while they were still negotiating the payment of a N50 million ransom.
However, an APC chieftain, Jamiu Olawumi, who is privy to the incident, said the kidnappers, masquerading as concerned citizens, alerted Mr Adeniji and Mr Adesiyan that someone had jumped over their fence onto their premises in the dead of night.
In an interview with PremiumTimes, Olawumi said the hoodlums claimed they were there to help flush out the suspect, but it was a clever decoy to gain entry into the premises.
“So nobody knew their condition until the morning of that incident, when some people were alerted that they saw the corpse of a woman, apparently the wife of his cousin.
“His wife was killed along the footpaths in the bush, and they dumped her corpse beside the road. So, and that was the last we heard from them until very recently,” he said.
Mr Adesiyan, a deputy director at the National Assembly Commission, has narrated his ordeals at the hands of the kidnappers, including being chained for 32 days and the killing of his wife in his presence.
Mr Olawumi explained that the shock of Mrs Adesiyan’s murder by the kidnappers led to Mr Adeniji’s death.
“It was Adesiyan that narrated the story. He said it was the trauma and the shock of how the woman was assassinated by these heartless people that got him, and then three hours later he died,” he stated.
APC shut down national headquarters over AbdulRauf Adeniji’s death. Image for illustration purposes.
Photo credit: APC Nigeria @OfficialAPCNgSource: Facebook
Ransom or no ransom
Speaking further, Mr Olawumi said the kidnappers demanded a ransom of N250 million, but that the federal government explicitly instructed that no payment should be made.
Mr Olawumi, however, could not confirm whether a ransom was ultimately paid.
He added that it was after Tuesday, April 8, Mr Adesiyan, alongside 59 others, were rescued from the Kidnappers’ den by troops of the Nigerian Army’s 1 Division, the APC and the family of Mr Adeniji knew he had passed on several weeks earlier.
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AbdulRauf Adeniji’s killing: APC shut down headquarters
Earlier, TheTalk.NG reported that the APC has announced the closure of its national secretariat, known as Buhari House, over the death of its director of administration, AbdulRauf Adekunle Adeniji.
AbdulRauf Adekunle Adeniji was said to have been kidnapped and subsequently killed while a N50 million ransom was being negotiated.
The APC national secretary, Ajibola Basiru approved the closure of the Buhari House on Thursday, April 10, adding that it will be effective from Monday, April 14.
Source: TheTalk.NG
