Residents of Olorunsogo community of Ado Ekiti in Ekiti State have staged a solemn remembrance march in honour of Miss Felicia Oluwadare, kidnapped and brutally murdered by gunmen in 2022.
 
According to the community leader, Obembe Olanrewaju, the deceased daughter of Mr Timothy Oluwadare and Mrs Folasade Oluwadare, was abducted together her mother on November 21, 2022 along the Lagos/Ibadan expressway while on a routine journey. 
 
They were forcefully taken into the bush by 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 survivors’ accounts revealed that Felicia endured severe sexual assault, physical torture and degrading treatment in the kidnappers’ den. Her captors later shot her, leaving the family and the community in grief.
 
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 kidnap might have been intentional.
 
Three years after the tragedy, the pain remains fresh. During the remembrance march, community leaders expressed deep frustration over what they described as government’s silence and abandonment despite multiple reports submitted to security agencies. They lamented that no arrest had been made, and that the case appeared 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 kidnap; 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.
 
Those who spoke at the memorial emphasised 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?”
 
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 cried while others prayed for the family and for an end to the rising wave of kidnapping across the country. For Olorunsogo, Felicia is gone but not forgotten, and until justice is served, her community vows to keep her memory alive.