Three employees of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan, Oyo State, have regained their freedom six days after they were abducted by gunmen while working on a farm within the institute’s premises.

The victims were identified as Eunice Babalola, Kehinde Gbalajobi and another employee known as Nelson.

They were kidnapped last Thursday when armed men stormed the farm at about 1pm and whisked them away to an undisclosed location.

Sources familiar with the incident said the abductors initially demanded N40 million for each of the victims before the ransom demand was allegedly reduced to N50 million for all three workers following negotiations.

The workers regained their freedom in the early hours of Wednesday after security operatives traced them to a bush near Globus Farm, also known as Triton.

The Oyo State Police Command confirmed the rescue but did not disclose whether any ransom was paid to secure their release.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said security agencies were continuing efforts to identify and arrest those responsible for the abduction.

The rescue came amid ongoing efforts by security operatives to track down the suspected kidnappers and bring them to justice.

Motorists plying the deteriorating Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe Expressway are expected to face temporary traffic disruptions as the Lagos State Government begins a 35-day rehabilitation of damaged sections from Bonny Camp to Admiralty Way Junction and around Victoria Garden City (VGC) tomorrow.

The government said traffic diversion arrangements would be introduced to minimise congestion and ensure the safety of road users during the exercise.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Olufemi Daramola, disclosed this yesterday at a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to discuss the scope of work and traffic management plans for the project.

Daramola said the meeting was part of the government’s policy of consulting residents, businesses and other road users before embarking on major infrastructure projects, adding that feedback from stakeholders would inform the implementation process.

He appealed for the cooperation of residents and motorists, particularly as Lagos prepares for increased traffic during the festive season.

The rehabilitation is expected to improve road safety and ease movement along the strategic corridor, which connects residential communities, commercial centres and major industrial investments across the Lekki-Epe axis.

The expressway provides access to the Lekki Free Zone, Dangote Refinery, Dangote Fertiliser Factory, Lekki Deep Sea Port and Eleganza Industrial Estate. It also serves major housing developments and educational institutions, including Pan-Atlantic University and Lagos Business School.

However, rapid urbanisation, growing commercial activities and increasing traffic have accelerated the deterioration of some sections, leaving commuters struggling with difficult journeys along the busy route.

Daramola said the government was also addressing drainage concerns along the corridor, adding that the proposed Green Line rail project would form part of a broader plan to improve transportation infrastructure in the area.

The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Election Observation Hub has said vote trading during the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections was rampant, with voters rewarded heavily for selling their votes.

The Hub, established for election monitoring, is made up of the Kukah Centre (TKC), TAF Africa, Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre (IPC) and Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO).

Speaking at the presentation and dissemination of the report on the Ekiti and Osun Off-cycle Elections (which took place in June and August, 2026, respectively) in Abuja on Tuesday, Prof. Bolade Eyinla, who read the findings of the Hub, said voters got up to N50,000 for selling their votes.

“The scourge of vote trading is becoming a pandemic,” he said, adding that, “if we don’t do anything about it, the sanctity of the vote and freedom of choice is beginning to come under severe threat and pressure.”

Prof. Eyinla lamented that vote trading has become extremely well organised and standardised, stressing that offenders remain unpunished.

“Maybe the IG (Inspector-General of Police) will tell us if they are arrested. And the result of that is that everybody has assumed a sense of impunity.

“The data shows us that 77% of the 84 verified incidents were vote trading, and party agents were the main actors in at least 90% of these cases.

“In Osun, it was 69%, and as I said, we still have not heard of any reported arrests, investigations, or prosecutions, given the magnitude of vote trading that went on in both elections.”

Describing how it was carried out, he said the voter marks the ballot paper to show his preference, but he then brings it up to show the people who are making the tally.

“And of course, once the agent confirms ‘he has done what we demanded’, payment follows.

“Originally, I was thinking payment was within the range of 10,000 or thereabouts, but the report from Osun even told me that people got N50,000. If you divide N50,000 by the number of voters in Osun, how much that will amount to in terms of the volume of money involved,” he said.

The Hub also called for the presentation of results from the ward level, noting that most of the irregularities are done at that level.

“I think for the presidential election, it’s 8,809 (wards). We want to see the results of the ward level uploaded. If you can upload polling units, then you should be able to upload ward-level results,” he argued.

However, the Hub commended the Independent Electoral Commission for organising a near-perfect election, noting that the election started early and the results were almost the same as those independently compiled.

It also commended the security agencies for ensuring a peaceful poll in Ekiti and Osun.

Dr Akin Akingbulu, the Executive Director, Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), in his remarks, said the Hub deployed 598 observers across all 16 Local Government Areas in Ekiti on 20 June, and 823 observers across all 30 LGAs in Osun on 15 August.

“That is more than 1,400 trained Nigerians who watched, counted, verified and reported, polling unit by polling unit, so that the conversation we have today rests on facts and not on sentiment,” he said.