Fish farmers in Ogun State have raised alarm over worsening insecurity in parts of the state following the abduction of one of their members and five women at a farm cluster in Ijebu Ode.
Under the aegis of the Ijebuland Fish Farmers Association, the farmers condemned the kidnap of Mr Adams Omamegbe and five women who had visited his farm at Alayo Fish Farm Cluster, Agoro, in the Odogbolu Local Government Area.
The association alleged that the victims were held for five days and released only after a ransom of N70 million was paid.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, February 26, at the farm cluster, the spokesperson of the association, Mr Eko Nicholas, said the incident underscored what he described as deteriorating security conditions in the Ikangba/Agoro axis and Ijebuland in general.
He explained that on February 9, 2026, about six armed men abducted Omamegbe, a female worker and three women who came to purchase fish at the farm.
According to him, the abductors reportedly held the victims in a bush located about two to three kilometres from the point of abduction, negotiated a ransom and later released them on February 13 along the Old Lagos-Benin Road, less than one kilometre from the farm.
Nicholas expressed concern that the incident had left farmers and residents living in fear, noting that similar security breaches had occurred in the area in recent years.
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He cited the killing of a fish farmer about three years ago near the same route, the abduction and murder of another farmer in Ijebu Igbo two years ago despite payment of N15 million ransom, as well as recent cases involving a quarry worker and a poultry farmer who were abducted and later released after ransom payments.
The farmers called on Governor Dapo Abiodun, acting Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, and the Commissioner of Police in the state, Lanre Ogunlowo, to take urgent steps to address the situation.
They demanded a thorough investigation into the recent abduction, arrest and prosecution of those responsible, as well as compensation for victims who they said had suffered financial losses, including payment of ransom.
The association also urged security agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering and increase patrols in vulnerable communities along the Old Lagos-Benin Road, and called for concerted efforts to comb surrounding forests to flush out criminal elements.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the association, Mr Okole Lazarus, appealed to the state and federal governments to take decisive action to restore safety in the agrarian communities, saying the insecurity now posed a direct threat to livelihoods and agricultural productivity.
Efforts to reach the Ogun State Police Command for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.