Olorunsogo community marches for justice three years after brutal murder of Miss Oluwadare Felicia

Michael Olumide

Community of Olorunsogo in Ado Ekiti, in Ekiti State was thrown into an emotional atmosphere on 23 November 2025 as residents, family friends, youth groups, and community leaders staged a solemn remembrance march in honour of Miss Oluwadare Olubunmi Felicia, a young woman kidnapped and brutally murdered by unknown gunmen in 2022.

According to the Community Leader, Obembe Tope Olanrewaju, Miss Felicia, the daughter of Mr. Oluwadare Oluseyi Timothy and Mrs. Oluwadare Folasade Abidemi, was abducted alongside her mother on 21 November 2022 along the Lagos–Ibadan expressway while on a routine journey.

The duo was forcefully taken into the bush by heavily armed kidnappers and held hostage for days.

According to the family, the captors subjected the victims to inhumane treatment while demanding an impossible ransom.

Witness reports and surviving accounts revealed that Miss Felicia endured severe sexual assault, physical torture, and degrading treatment in the kidnappers’ den.

Her captors later shot her dead, leaving the family and the community shattered.

Mrs. Oluwadare, who survived the ordeal after the family managed to pay the ransom, has continued to live with the trauma of the incident.

The family later relocated from the community for safety after receiving hints that the kidnapping may have been targeted.

Three years after the tragedy, the pain remains fresh.

During the remembrance march, community leaders expressed deep frustration over what they described as government silence and abandonment despite multiple reports submitted to security agencies.

They lamented that no arrest has been made, and the case appears to have been forgotten despite its severity.

“We are out here today because justice has been denied for too long,” said one of the community elders.

“This was not just a kidnapping; it was a brutal murder of an innocent daughter of our land. The family has suffered in silence, and our community has lived in fear since then.”

Women groups, youth organisations, and civil society advocates who joined the procession carried placards with inscriptions such as “Justice for Felicia,” “Stop Attacks on Innocent Travelers,” and “Government Must Protect Us.”

Residents described the late Felicia as a promising young woman, intelligent, respectful, and loved by all. Her tragic death has continued to leave a void, especially because of the horrifying circumstances that led to her demise.

Some speakers at the memorial emphasized the need for improved security on Nigerian highways, particularly the Lagos–Ibadan expressway, which has witnessed multiple kidnapping incidents over the years.

Sources close to the family confirmed that the Oluwadares had to relocate after receiving threats and out of fear that the criminals might return.

“They lost their daughter, they lost their peace, and eventually they lost their home,” a neighbour shared tearfully.
“How can such a thing happen and the government stays silent?”

The Olorunsogo community announced plans to petition the Ekiti State Government, the Oyo State Police Command, and federal security agencies, insisting that the perpetrators must be tracked and brought to justice.

As the remembrance march ended, community members lit candles and observed a moment of silence in honour of the slain young woman.

Many were seen crying while others prayed for the family and for an end to the rising wave of kidnapping across the country.

For Olorunsogo, Miss Oluwadare Olubunmi Felicia is gone but not forgotten—and until justice is served, her community vows to keep her memory alive.