A Passionate Plea For The Release Of Prof. Onje Gye-Wado

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…. Abductors Are Demanding N70m Ransom
By Olukayode Ajulo

The news of the abduction of Prof. Onje Gye-Wado, this afternoon, came as a rude shock to me while trying to settle down on my holiday vacation. I had expected a holiday outside the shore of Nigeria to be a break from the stress of work and a time to rejuvenate.

I can say this supposed stress-free moment is truncated by this unexpected news at this point. I am not only broken because I know Professor Gye-Wado closely but because I know he is not a flamboyant man. He is a man who lives simply, loves genuinely and takes life with ease. His lifestyle is simply enviable.

Prof. Onje Gye-Wado is a man of little needs. He is only influenced by intellectualism and his advocacy for fairness in governance occupies him more than acquiring material things. I have been wondering what could make anyone break into such a simple man’s residence to adopt him.

He has never been a man moved by affluence even as he served as the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State under the current All Progressives Government Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, led administration in Nasarawa State..

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Prof Gye-Wado was my law lecturer at the University of Jos, Jos Nigeria. A devoted Marxist whose unquenchable passion for a just society is commendable. A very simple man who drives a simple mini-bus and would always be on a T-shirt, jeans and a pair of sandals. He had once queried me at the funeral of one of my colleagues and his student, the late Dr (Mrs.) Bunmi Lar, (Nee Olamishegbe) why I had police escorts guiding me and when I told him of my abduction some years back, he said “Don’t be worried. God is always there to guide His own.” This a statement that has become my watchword whenever I need to travel ever since then.

While I commend the security agencies for swinging into action to rescue this true patriot, I want to plea with his abductors to release him immediately as he is a man of little means but very rich in knowledge and wisdom that money cannot buy.

Prof. Gye-Wado is a blessing to everyone that crosses his path and not one that his community and Nigeria can afford to lose for a second.

I plea once again, that his abductors should be merciful and return him home as soon as possible.

7th day of April, 2023

Signed
*Olukayode Ajulo*, PhD, FCIArb. UK
Castle of Law, Boundary House
Uxbridge, London
UB 1QG