Michael Akinropo Adesiyan, a Deputy Director at the National Assembly Commission, has shared the heartbreaking story of how kidnappers murdered his wife in front of him. He was taken from his home in Kubwa, Abuja, along with his wife Esther, their son, and two others on the night of January 26, 2025.

Sadly, the kidnappers killed Esther the next day and left her body in a bush near Itagbajii in Niger State.

Adesiyan was rescued along with 59 others on April 7 by Nigerian Army troops from the 1 Division. They were welcomed in Abuja by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar.

According to Major General Adamu Laka from the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, the victims included 35 men and 25 women. They were rescued through a joint operation in Kaduna State and the Federal Capital Territory.

After the rescue, Adesiyan called for a non-violent approach to dealing with banditry. He explained that many of the kidnappers were between the ages of 17 and 21 and lacked education.

“I was chained for 32 days. Most of them don’t even know how to count properly. They don’t really understand what they’re doing. Instead of killing them, the government should arrest them, teach them skills, and help them become better people,” he said.

He painfully recalled how the kidnappers murdered his wife right in front of him. “When someone is killed before your eyes, you’ll do anything they ask. If they had asked for my life too, I would have given it,” he added.