The Vice Chairman of Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Grace Ogunleye, has been remanded at the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre following her arraignment on charges of conspiracy and self-kidnapping.
Mrs Ogunleye was arraigned on Wednesday alongside three others before a Chief Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti, according to the Ekiti State Police Command.
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The police spokesperson, Sunday Abutu, said the suspects were charged following investigations into a reported abduction of the council vice chairman.
During the proceedings, the prosecutor, Akinwale Oriyomi, told the court that the case file had been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice and requested that the defendants be remanded pending further action.
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The Chief Magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, subsequently ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre.
From reported abduction to criminal charges
The development marks a dramatic twist in a case that initially sparked fears of worsening insecurity in Ilejemeje Local Government Area.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mrs Ogunleye was declared missing on 20 May after her vehicle was reportedly discovered abandoned along the Ipere–Iludun Ekiti Road.
At the time, local government officials said she had been abducted by suspected gunmen while travelling to Ido-Ekiti after attending an official engagement in Ilejemeje.
The incident came barely three weeks after suspected gunmen reportedly kidnapped church worshippers in Eda Oniyo, also in Ilejemeje Local Government Area.
Confirming the earlier report, the Director of Information and Civic Orientation in the council, Falade Sunday, said security agencies had launched efforts to locate and rescue the vice chairman.
“The Vice Chairman of Ilejemeje Local Government, Mrs Grace Ogunleye, has reportedly been kidnapped along Ipere–Iludun Ekiti road,” Mr Sunday said at the time.
“According to reports, her vehicle was later found abandoned while her whereabouts remain unknown.”
Mrs Ogunleye was later found unharmed following a security operation.
Investigation changes narrative
However, police investigations subsequently took a different direction after allegations emerged that the abduction might have been staged.
Authorities later alleged that the incident was orchestrated to raise money to offset financial obligations and political commitments.
The allegations attracted public attention after a Facebook user, Festus Ojo, claimed that the vice chairman had allegedly arranged her own kidnapping because she was unable to fulfil commitments made to a politician after receiving funds.
Police have not publicly linked their case to the specific social media allegations, but investigators proceeded with criminal charges following their inquiry.
Council chairman responds
Following the emergence of the allegations, the Chairman of Ilejemeje Local Government Area, Pius Alaba Dada, condemned the alleged conduct and called for due process.
In a statement previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Dada described the development as “shocking, disturbing, and entirely unacceptable.”
“The attention of the Executive Chairman of Ilejemeje Local Government has been drawn to the unfortunate incident involving the Vice Chairman, who was reportedly involved in a self-kidnapping arrangement and subsequently apprehended by the relevant security authorities,” he said.
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Mr Dada stressed that no public official would be shielded from accountability.
“We wish to assure the good people of Ilejemeje Local Government that no individual is above the law. The law must take its full course without interference, irrespective of status or political position,” he said.
The chairman also commended security agencies for their investigation and urged residents to avoid spreading unverified information capable of causing tension within the local government area.
The case is expected to proceed after legal advice is issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
