Armed men suspected to be bandits have attacked the Imafon community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, abducting one person, identified as Afolabi Ajayi.
The bandits were said to have attacked the victim on Monday at about 10.30 a.m. when he alighted from his car to enter a poultry farm. Mr Afolabi is reportedly the farm manager.
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He (Afolabi) came to the poultry farm this morning to check on the workers and how the farm was being run, but the gunmen rushed out from the bush and took him to an unknown destination in the forest,” a family source, who would not want to be named, said.
The family member said the abductors had yet to make any contact with the manager’s family to demand ransom.
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He added that the matter was immediately reported to the police station.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Jimoh, said it deployed its operatives to the area to rescue the victim and apprehend the perpetrators.
”The command has been notified of a kidnapping incident at Ilado, where a farmer was abducted while working on his farm.
”In swift response, additional security apparatus, including tactical teams, have been deployed and are currently combing the surrounding bush to ensure the safe rescue of the victim and apprehension of the perpetrators.
”The command assures the public that all necessary operational strategies are being employed, with utmost priority placed on the victim’s safety. Further updates will be communicated as the situation unfolds,” Mr Jimoh stated.
Previous incidents
A similar incident occurred about a week ago when two persons, identified simply as Mr Kolade and Mrs Olotutu, were kidnapped by suspected gunmen in Upenmen, Owo LGA of Ondo State.
The kidnappers afterwards demanded N50 million as ransom, a development which threw their families into despair.
The police spokesperson confirmed that the abduction was reported on 21 April.
After the incident, the police also promised to comb the bush and deploy tactical teams to rescue the victims.
Residents of the community cried out for help, as it had become a regular occurrence for bandits to raid the communities and kidnap their members.
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At its recent meeting, the Yoruba Socio- Political group, Afenifere, expressed displeasure over the continued rise in banditry cases in the South-west region.
The group called on the governors of the South-west states to double their efforts in the fight against criminals and bandits in the region by empowering its security network, also known as Amotekun.
Although security agencies are quick to parade suspected kidnappers said to have been arrested, nothing is often heard about their prosecution or conviction.
