“They killed my wife before my eyes,” National Assembly Deputy Director shares kidnap experience
Michael Akinropo Adesiyan, a Deputy Director at the National Assembly Commission, has shared the heartbreaking details of his abduction and the traumatic loss of his wife, Esther, who was murdered in his presence by kidnappers.
The incident occurred on the night of January 26, 2025, when gunmen invaded their home in Kubwa, Abuja, and abducted Adesiyan, his wife, their son, and two other family members.
The following day, the kidnappers brutally murdered Esther and dumped her body in a bush near Itagbajii community in Niger State.
Adesiyan, who was among 60 victims rescued by troops of the Nigerian Army’s 1 Division on April 7, narrated his ordeal during a debriefing session with top government officials in Abuja.
He revealed he was chained for 32 days and witnessed unimaginable horrors.
He urged the government to adopt a reformative rather than combative approach in dealing with the mostly young, illiterate bandits.
He said, “I was chained for 32 days. Most of them can’t even count up to a million. They don’t know what they’re doing. Instead of k!lling them, the government should arrest, educate, and rehabilitate them. Some of them want to learn trades. They can still be useful.”
Michael recollected how his wife was k!lled in his presence.
“When they k!ll someone in front of you, you’ll give them anything they want. They k!lled my wife before me. In that moment, if they asked for my head, I would have given it.
“Many of them are lost but willing to learn trades. They can still be rehabilitated,” he said.
