The Adekunle Ajasin University Alumni Association (AAUAA) has launched an urgent fundraising appeal to secure the release of Omoniyi Eleyinmi, a faculty officer in the institution’s Faculty of Education, who was abducted five days ago.
Eleyinmi was kidnapped on Monday while returning to his residence in Supare-Akoko, Akoko South West Local Council, Ondo State. The assailants reportedly stormed his home ahead of his arrival and seized him amid sporadic gunfire as he alighted from a commercial motorcycle.
The abductors, who initially demanded ₦100 million, reduced the ransom to ₦7 million following negotiations. On Thursday, they allowed Eleyinmi’s wife to speak with him briefly to confirm he was alive.
In a statement issued by the association’s Global Publicity Secretary, O’Seun Ogunsakin, members and the public were urged to make immediate donations to meet the ransom demand. “We have just 24 hours to raise the sum. Kindly make your donation into the account: Polaris Bank 1011167606 Akinwande Joyce Morenikeji,” the statement read in part.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, had ordered tactical commanders to rescue the victim unharmed and apprehend the perpetrators. He stressed that the police were not involved in ransom negotiations but were “on top of the situation.”
