A serious public controversy has erupted between self-proclaimed security mediator and activist Harrison Gwamnishu and the family of a kidnapped couple in Edo State, following allegations that the activist stole a portion of the crowdfunded ransom money.
The dispute centers on the ransom raised to secure the release of Mr. and Mrs. Segiru, who were abducted from their residence in Aviele community near Auchi on November 22, 2025.
Abdulganiyu Oseni, the elder brother of the kidnapped wife, took to his X handle to accuse Harrison Gwamnishu, who had offered to mediate through his Safe City Volunteer Foundation, of diverting the money for personal use.
Oseni claimed that the family raised ₦20 million plus an additional ₦50,000 as ransom to secure the release of the couple.
Oseni explicitly called Gwamnishu a “thief” who “stole from the ransom my family laboured for over 10 days to raise.”
The family claims Gwamnishu admitted and remitted only ₦5.4 million to the Auchi Area Police Command before allegedly fleeing the area.
Oseni insisted that Gwamnishu risked the couple’s lives, as he was aware the kidnappers would count the money and that the diversion led to the release of only the wife.
“This is the face of a thief. Harrison stole from the ransom my family laboured for over 10 days to raise. He was given N20m plus an extra 50k for poorly counted money. He stole from the ransom to free up my sister and her husband. As it stands, he’s on the run.
“He admitted and remitted N5.4m to the Auchi Area Police Command before he fled. His car is currently being detained at the same police station. Nigerians are evil people. Tf do you steal ransom for the lives of a couple?” he wrote.
“He’s a thief. Say it as it is. He was told that these people would count this money. He knew, and he still refused the ransom money. Risking people’s lives. He’s a thief, and there is no sugarcoating,” he added.
In lengthy Facebook posts, Harrison Gwamnishu vehemently denied the claim of theft, arguing that his role was purely technical and not financial.
He maintained that his assistance was free and limited to tracking the ransom money using technology to help security authorities (police, military, vigilantes) locate the kidnappers, a practice he claims to have successfully executed before.
He confirmed the kidnappers demanded ₦50 million and the family negotiated it down to ₦20 million.
Gwamnishu explained that the couple who delivered the money to the kidnappers returned with the wife, claiming the kidnappers refused to release the husband because the money was “not complete.” He noted that the kidnappers did not count the money to verify the amount.
Gwamnishu argued that the family started a “blame game” after the incident and accused them of compromising the technical plan by questioning the strategy in front of police officers.
He wrote, “The Kidnappers demanded N50,000,000 from the family, and the family negotiated with them. I don’t negotiate with kidnappers; my assistance is to follow them up using tech which the police, military and local vigilantes are aware of.
“The family raised N20,000,000 for the kidnappers, and the kidnappers told them that they would free only the woman because they were begging that she was pregnant. The family told me the kidnappers insisted on freeing only the woman. On Monday, I received a phone call from them saying the kidnappers are requesting N20,000,000, and I asked them for the two of them or just the woman. They said for the two.
“My work is to follow up with the money so we can get a real-time location and get the military to the exact location, as we’ve done in the past with evidence to back it up.”
“They took the money to the kidnappers, and they released only the woman and didn’t release the man. The people who went said the kidnappers did not count the money to determine whether it was below N20 million or above. They said the kidnappers only told them the money wasn’t complete and they should go.
“They returned and started a blame game, and right in DPO Auchi’s office, I explained to them the strategies and plans we use. They said why didn’t I tell them. I said I did, cos I remember telling them we would work on the money, but how it’s going to happen is not supposed to be reviewed by anyone.”
He stated his preference to remain silent to protect the safety of the husband, who remains in captivity, but invited authorities and journalists to investigate the matter, declaring himself open to a public inquiry.
The Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, promised to get back to The PUNCH once he had the complete reports of the incident.
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