Two farmers have been abducted by suspected kidnappers in Parubber Community, Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, with the assailants reportedly demanding N100 million for their release.
The victims were working on their farms when the gunmen, armed with rifles, reportedly invaded the area and took them into a nearby forest.
One of the farmers, Yemi Omowale, escaped during the attack. He said he and the victims were feeding animals when he noticed a masked man carrying an AK-47 approaching one of them, identified as Adetan Adebanjo 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 said.
He said the attackers also abducted a female farmer whose identity has not been made public.
According to Omowale, the kidnappers have contacted the wife of one of the victims and demanded 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,” he said.
Omowale appealed to security agencies and the Ondo State Government to intensify efforts to rescue the victims safely.
The incident has been reported to the Nigeria Police Force and the Ondo State Security Network Agency, known as Amotekun.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said a report of missing persons was received at the Oke-Igbo Divisional Headquarters.
Abayomi said a joint security operation involving police personnel, including members of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, local hunters and vigilante groups had been launched to locate the victims.
“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 efforts to secure the victims’ release were being intensified and urged members of the public to provide relevant information that could assist the search operation.
