Two farmers have been abducted at the Parubber community in the Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Council Area of Ondo State while working at their farm on Friday.
The armed attackers reportedly emerged from nearby bushes and overpowered their victims before forcefully taking them away.
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An eyewitness, Yemi Omowale, who narrowly escaped the attack, said one of the kidnappers, who was masked and was carrying an AK-47 rifle, accosted one of the victims, Adetan Gbemi.
“Because we were not standing together, I saw him first. The attacker was masked and carrying an AK-47. Before I could raise an alarm, he had already moved toward Gbemi, and others emerged from different directions,” he recounted.
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Mr Omowale, who fled during the attack, said the kidnappers also abducted another farmer, a female, whose identity has yet to be made known.
According to him, the kidnappers have since established contact with the wife of one of the abducted victims, with the gunmen demanding a ransom of N100 million for the release of the two farmers.
“They still call the wife of the victim, asking her how much she has raised so far. We are begging the security agencies and the government to help us rescue our brother and sister unharmed,” Mr Omowale said.
He said the incident has been reported to both the Nigeria Police Force and the Ondo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) in the local government area.
Responding to the incident, The spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Jimoh Abayomi, confirmed the incident, saying that the report of missing persons was received at the Oke-Igbo Divisional Headquarters.
He said that a joint security team comprising police operatives, including the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, local hunters and vigilante groups, had been swiftly mobilised to the scene.
“Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing, with all available operational and intelligence resources being deployed to locate the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Mr Abayomi said.
He assured the public that the operation is being intensified and urged residents to remain calm while providing any credible information that may assist the ongoing rescue efforts.
He also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to ensuring the safe rescue of the victims and the arrest of those responsible.
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He encouraged residents to remain vigilant and continue to support the police by providing timely and credible information through the nearest police formation.
About two weeks ago, gunmen opened fire on a female motorist in an attempted highway robbery/kidnapping, along the Ondo-Ile-Oluji road, also in the local government area, but failed to halt the vehicle as she courageously drove the vehicle past the attack.
Although the police said they were trailing the attackers, the public has yet to be updated on the matter.
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