Residents of Igboho in Oyo State were on Friday thrown into celebration after a kidnapped family, including a pregnant woman, her children and a relative, was reportedly released following a two-hour ultimatum issued by Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
A video circulating on social media showed large crowds of residents singing, dancing and rejoicing over the return of the victims, who were said to have been abducted days earlier.
The development came shortly after Igboho issued a strong warning to suspected Fulani community leaders in the area over rising cases of kidnapping and insecurity.
In an earlier viral footage, the activist was seen addressing community representatives and traditional leaders, where he expressed anger over repeated abductions and killings in the region.
He accused some individuals within the Fulani community of being responsible for kidnappings, citing incidents involving a pregnant woman and ransom demands that reportedly ended in tragedy.
According to him, “The person who brought the ransom, you still killed him and spared only one person,” adding that such occurrences must not be allowed to continue.
Igboho also gave a two-hour ultimatum for the release of remaining abducted persons, insisting he had exercised restraint following appeals from traditional rulers in the community.
“I am Sunday Igboho. I am calm because my fathers asked me to be calm with you. Let this be the last time such a thing will happen,” he warned.
He further cautioned that failure to comply would lead to decisive action, including possible moves against suspected hideouts linked to the kidnappings.
Following the ultimatum, videos from the community showed jubilant residents celebrating what was described as the release of the abducted family. However, details surrounding the exact circumstances of their release remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
Authorities have not yet issued an official confirmation regarding the development.