Yinka Obaleye, abducted industrialist freed

Jamiu Yisa

After about two weeks in the den of her abductors, an Ilesa-based frontline industrialist, Dr. (Mrs) Olayinka Obaleye popularly known as Yinka Oba was finally released on Friday.

Mrs. Yinka Obaleye, founder of Yinka Oba Foams, was abducted while returning home from her company located at Ilo, Ijebu-Jesa road in Osun State on November 19, 2013 by yet to-be identified gang of armed men.

While being kidnapped, her driver, Alhaji Kamarudeen Adebisi, was shot dead on the spot and had since been buried according to Islamic rites.

Unconfirmed reports had it that the abductors of the septuagenarian woman had demanded for a ransom of N700million.

But it was not known whether the family paid this ransom before the victim regained her freedom.

Relief however came the way of her relatives and concerned public when news filtered into the town on Friday that the popular industrialist was found at Akoko in Ondo state where she was abandoned along with her car in a nearby bush in the town.

The development sparked wide jubilation in Ilesa, the country home of Yinka Oba as people were sighted expressing joy and discussing the matter in happy tones.

Osun State Police Commissioner, Mrs. Dorothy Gimba through the Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Folasade Odoro confirmed the release of the industrialist by her abductors.

She explained that the industrialist was abandoned at the spot she was picked up in the wee hours of Friday.

According to the PPRO, the woman walked her way to a nearby police station where she reported herself before the Ondo Police Command contacted its counterpart in Osun on the development.

Immediately, the Osun command was said to have raised a powerful team to Akoko in Ondo where they received the victim.

As at the time she was released to the Osun Police Command, it was gathered that the victim was very weak to narrate her ordeal in the hands of her abductors to the security operatives.

She was immediately rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Ilesa, Osun State for medical attention. As at the time she was abducted, the victim had malaria and was said to be a diabetic patient.

The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar had deployed crack team of detectives from the Force Headquarters, in Abuja to fish out the suspected abductors of Yinka Oba and secure her freedom.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 11, David Olufemi Omojola on Thursday gave this hint saying that the state command would soon bring the abductors to book.