Ekiti LG Vice Chairman Remanded Over Alleged Staged Kidnap Plot

Grace Ogunleye, the Vice Chairman of Ilejemeje Local Government Area in Ekiti State, has been remanded at the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre following her arraignment over allegations of conspiracy and self-kidnapping.

Ogunleye was arraigned on Wednesday alongside three other suspects before a Chief Magistrate Court in Ado-Ekiti.

According to the Ekiti State Police Command, the defendants were charged after investigations into a reported abduction involving the local government official.

The prosecutor, Akinwale Oriyimi, told the court that the case file had been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice and requested that the accused persons be remanded pending further proceedings.

Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun subsequently ordered the remand of the four defendants at the Ado-Ekiti Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter.

Ogunleye was reported missing on May 20 after her vehicle was discovered abandoned along the Ipere–Iludun Ekiti Road. Initial reports indicated that she had been kidnapped by armed men shortly after leaving the council secretariat.

She was later found unharmed during a security operation involving multiple agencies.

However, police investigations allegedly revealed that the abduction was staged as part of a plan to raise money to offset personal debts and meet certain political obligations.

Reacting to the development, Ilejemeje Local Government Chairman, Pius Dada, described the alleged incident as unfortunate and damaging to public confidence in government institutions.

He stressed that anyone found culpable, regardless of status or position, must face the full weight of the law, warning that such actions could undermine trust in both public officials and security agencies.