Suspected gunmen have abducted two farmers in Parubber Community, located in the Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, with the kidnappers reportedly demanding a ransom of N100 million for their release.
According to a family source, the victims were attacked while working on their farms on Monday and were subsequently taken into a nearby forest by the armed assailants.
One of the farmers who escaped the attack, Pastor Yemi Omowale, said the matter had been reported to the police and operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun.
Omowale, who owns a piggery farm in Parubber Community along the Ondo-Ife Road, explained that the victims had gone to the farm to feed their animals when the attack occurred.
“We arrived there in the morning to feed the pigs. Between noon and 1 p.m., while we were working outside, I noticed a masked man carrying an AK-47 rifle moving towards one of the victims, Adetan Adebanjo Gbemi, because we were standing apart from one another,” he said.
According to him, the kidnappers later contacted the wife of one of the victims and demanded N100 million in exchange for their freedom.
“They have continued to call the victim’s wife to ask how much money she has been able to raise. We are appealing to the government and security agencies to help us rescue our brother and sister safely,” he added.
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The spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, confirmed the incident, stating that the Oke-Igbo Divisional Headquarters received a report concerning the disappearance of the victims.
Abayomi said a combined security team comprising police officers, members of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Amotekun operatives, local hunters and vigilantes had been deployed 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.
He added that security agencies were intensifying efforts to secure the release of the victims and arrest those responsible for the crime.
The police also appealed to residents to remain calm and provide any information that could assist the investigation through the nearest police station.
The latest incident adds to growing concerns over the increasing cases of kidnapping and violent crimes in parts of Ondo State.