It was a moment of relief for four families in Ado-Ekiti on Friday as a court freed their children, who had been accused of kidnapping a missing boy, Ayobami Adepoju, popularly known as Bobo, after months of waiting to clear their names.
The defendants, Marvelous Ajibola, 17; Temitayo Jimoh, 22; Junior Lawal, 24; and Sikemi Salami, 20, were accused by the popular radio presenter known as Omo-Edema of involvement in Bobo’s disappearance on May 18, 2026, after he reportedly left his friends to buy bread during the Odun Eegun masquerade festival in Ado-Ekiti.
The case, presided over by Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun, was struck out following the advice by DPP which cleared the suspects of any wrong doing.
Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, counsel to the defendants, Dr. Sunday Ochayi, said the Ekiti State Ministry of Justice had reviewed the case and found insufficient grounds to continue the prosecution.
Ochayi alleged that a radio presenter, Babatunde Bamigboye, popularly known as Omo Edema, had accused the young people of being responsible for Bobo’s disappearance during a programme on a radio station in Ekiti State.
He said the allegations were followed by their arrest by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
The lawyer faulted the handling of the case, arguing that the defendants had faced a serious kidnapping allegation without what he described as proper investigation before their arrest and prosecution.
He explained that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Office of the Attorney-General reviewed the case file and issued legal advice that led to the defendants’ discharge.
Ochayi described the court’s decision as a victory for the defendants, their families, democracy and the justice system.
For the parents, the ruling brought relief after months of worry over the fate of their children, whom they maintained had been wrongly accused.
Favour Salami, father of Sikemi Salami, said he did not know his daughter was allegedly in a relationship with Bobo until the case emerged.
“I have never met the boy, and I was told that my daughter was his girlfriend, which I never knew about. Omo Edema and the Nigerian Civil Defence decided to arrest my child, claiming she conspired to kidnap Bobo,” he said.
He thanked the Ekiti State Government for reviewing the case but accused Omo Edema and NSCDC officials of falsely implicating his daughter and subjecting her to mental and physical distress.
Salami said the experience had been difficult for the family but expressed relief that his daughter would not face imprisonment over the allegation.
Another parent, Ajoke Jimoh, recounted how her son, Temitayo, met Bobo at the Odun Eegun festival after the boy complained of hunger.
She said Temitayo gave Bobo money to buy bread but did not accompany him.
She expressed appreciation to the state government for ensuring that the defendants would not go to prison over an offence she believed they did not commit.
“We appreciate the government of Ekiti State for not allowing our children to go to jail for what they did not do,” she said.
Gbenga Ajibola, father of 17-year-old Marvelous Ajibola, also expressed relief over the court’s decision, alleging that his son had been wrongly implicated in the case.
He disclosed that Marvelous was currently in the hospital and thanked God and the state government for the outcome of the proceedings.
Ajibola said the family was grateful that his son would not suffer for an offence he maintained he did not commit.
Despite the discharge of the four defendants, Bobo’s disappearance remains unresolved, as his whereabouts are still unknown.
