Two farmers have been abducted by gunmen at Parubber community in the Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped on Friday while working on their farms after armed men emerged from nearby bushes and overpowered them before taking them away.
An eyewitness, Yemi Omowale, who narrowly escaped the attack, said one of the kidnappers, who was masked and armed with an AK-47 rifle, first accosted one of the victims identified as 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,” Omowale recounted.
He said the gunmen also abducted another farmer, a woman whose identity had yet to be established.
According to Omowale, the kidnappers have contacted the wife of one of the victims and demanded N100 million as ransom 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,” he said.
The incident has reportedly been reported to the Nigeria Police Force and the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Jimoh Abayomi, said the command received a report of missing persons at the Oke-Igbo Divisional Headquarters.
Abayomi said a joint security team comprising police operatives, including members of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, local hunters and vigilante groups, had been mobilised to the area.
“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,” he said.
The police spokesperson assured residents that the operation was being intensified and urged members of the public to remain calm while providing credible information that could assist the rescue efforts.
He also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to securing the safe release of the victims and apprehending those responsible for the abduction.
The latest incident has heightened security concerns in the area, coming about two weeks after gunmen reportedly opened fire on a female motorist in an attempted highway robbery and kidnapping along the Ondo-Ile-Oluji road.
The woman, however, reportedly drove through the attack and escaped.
Although the police said they were tracking the suspected attackers, there has been no public update on the outcome of the investigation.
