The Secretary of Okeluju Local Council Development Area, LCDA, in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Joseph Aladesuyi, has been abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.
Aladesuyi was abducted on Monday alongside two individuals on his farm in Kajola area of Ilu-Abo, Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
Sources said the incident occurred around 10:00am in the farm located less than 5 kilometres from the Akure airport and has caused tension in the community which had in the past months been prone to incessant killings and abduction.
The heavily armed men numbering about 10 were said to have stormed the farm, overwhelming the victims before fleeing into the surrounding forest with their captives.
According to sources close to the family, Aladesuyi was conducting routine activities on his farm along with his daughter at the time of the invasion by the gunmen.
āHe arrived at his farm around 9:00am with his daughter. Shortly after, the kidnappers, who were about 10, arrived and shot sporadically into the air. They dragged him, but he struggled with them, and one of them (gunmen) shot him in his hand and then took him away.
āThey (gunmen) left his daughter alone but told her point blank that they were kidnapping her father. We are anxiously waiting for their call because we donāt know what state he will be in at the moment after he was shot in his hand,ā the family source stated.
Meanwhile, as of press time, the suspected kidnappers were yet to contact the family for the possibility of ransom for the release of the council boss.
Following the sporadic gunshot, panic engulfed the community as parents rushed to schools to withdraw their children and wards.
Security personnel, including police, Amotekun corps and local vigilante groups, have reportedly launched a manhunt for the gunmen, combing the dense forests where the gunmen are believed to have escaped through.
However, amid the security challenges facing the state, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, a few days ago, pointedly stated that bandits and terrorists have not operated anywhere in the state since the 2022 Owo massacre.
Gunmen attack farm near Akure Airport, abduct council boss, two others
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