The family of 18-year-old carpenter Bello Afeez Oluwapelumi is pleading for assistance after he was kidnapped on April 1, 2024, coincidentally on his birthday. Afeez was lured away by alleged kidnappers posing as clients seeking carpentry services.
His sister, Bello Karimat Iyanuoluwa, reached out with an urgent request for help, detailing their ongoing nightmare. “My brother was taken after answering a call for a job,” she explained. “We received a call from the kidnappers on the same day using his phone, and they have since been in contact, continuously demanding ransoms through various bank accounts.”
Despite paying the kidnappers multiple times and involving the police right from the start, the family reports that their efforts have been met with frustration. “We paid the police for tracking assistance twice, both at Iyaganku, Ibadan, and with the Amotekun security group,” Karimat said. “But it feels like nothing has been done. They collected the money and we’ve seen no results.”
After months of mounting anguish, the family has lost direct contact with the kidnappers, intensifying their desperation. “It’s been nearly six months of sleepless nights and turmoil for our family,” Karimat continued. “We’ve tried using social media to spread the word, but without a following, we haven’t reached enough people.”
Karimat is now urging the public to help locate her brother, stating, “We just want to find my brother, whether dead or alive. Any information would be invaluable.”
The family is asking anyone with information about Afeez’s whereabouts to contact them at 07037034664, 08035330771, or 08163353285, or to report to the nearest police station.
