Abductors demand N100m ransom for Ondo farmer, manager
The Ondo State Security Network Agency also known as Amotekun has confirmed the abduction of a farmer, Olanrewaju Oyeleye and one other person by some bandits at Oba Ile Community, along the Akure Airport Road, in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the abductors had contacted the families demanding a ransom of N100m before their release.
Oyeleye who is a mechanised farmer in the community, was said to have been kidnapped along with the other man, suspected to be his manager, on the farm in the early hours of Thursday.
The incident came some weeks after a farmer and two students who were on industrial training were kidnapped and five labourers were shot dead by some bandits on their farm at the same Akure North LG.
Similarly, last month, a health worker, Akinola Oyabiyi, was shot dead by some unknown gunmen near the Akure Airport at Eleyowo community in Akure North LG while the bandits allegedly kidnapped his son.
The commander of the state Amotekun, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, who confirmed the incident to journalists on Saturday, said his men were already in the bush in a bid to rescue the victims unhurt.
He said, “The kidnapping of the farmer and his manager happened in the early hours of Thursday, and we have been on it ever since. Our men are working tirelessly to ensure the victims are rescued from the abductors, as we are tracking their location.”
However, it was gathered the abductors had contacted the family of the victims, demanding a sum of N100m for their release.
Sources close to the victims revealed that the abductors “contacted Oyeleye’s family on Saturday, demanding a ransom of N100 million for their release.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, could not confirm the incident as she said the incident was not reported to the police.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Wilfred Afolabi, has asked criminals to stay out of the state because the police and other security agencies were battle-ready to flush them out.
The police boss stated this in a chat with members of the state Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists on Friday. He explained that many series of operations have been carried out in different parts of the state and some kidnappers were arrested while victims were rescued.
