Suspected Bandits Attack Osun Community, Kidnap Ex-Customs Officer, Kill Resident
Gunmen on Monday night attacked a community in Ora-Igbomina, Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State, kidnapping a former Nigerian customs officer and killing one person.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Inurin of Ora-Igbomina, High Chief Sunday Fadipe, said the gunmen stormed the town at about 7pm and headed straight to the residence of the former customs officer.
Mr Fadipe said the victim was returning home when the gunmen, who had laid an ambush at his house, abducted him.
According to him, the assailants, while escaping through farmlands in the Akisa area, encountered a man working on his farm with a headlamp and allegedly shot him dead.
He said it was the deceased’s 10-year-old son, who was with him at the time of the incident, that ran into the town to report the killing.
Fadipe said the police had been informed and were already on the trail of the gunmen.
He called on the government to strengthen security in the area, noting that Ora-Igbomina shares boundaries with Ekiti and Kwara states.
When contacted, the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed that the command had received a report of the incident.
Ojelabi said the Divisional Police Officer in the town had visited the residence of the kidnapped former customs officer to gather more information.
He described the incident as a case of kidnapping, adding that the report of a killing had not yet been confirmed.
“Immediately we heard about the incident, our tactical teams were deployed and they have been on the trail of the suspects.
”We have a tactical team on the ground in the town, and with support from forest guards, vigilantes and local security personnel, they are combing the bushes to rescue the victim.
“The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ibrahim Gotan, has deployed more tactical teams to the area, and the investigation is ongoing as the police are on the trail of the kidnappers,” he said.
