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Gunmen have abducted two farmers in Parubber Community, Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, demanding ₦100 million for their release.
The victims were working on their farms when the armed assailants invaded the area, overpowered them and took them into the surrounding forest.
A farmer, Yemi Omowale, who narrowly escaped the attack, said he was feeding animals on the farm with the victims when the gunmen struck.
Omowale said he first noticed a masked man armed with an AK-47 rifle approaching one of the victims, 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 he managed to escape, but the kidnappers abducted Gbemi and another farmer, a woman whose identity has not been publicly disclosed.
According to Omowale, the abductors have since contacted the wife of one of the victims and demanded ₦100 million for their release.
“They still call the wife of the victim, asking her how much she has raised so far,” Omowale said.
“We are begging the security agencies and the government to help us rescue our brother and sister unharmed.”
The survivor said the incident had been reported to the Nigeria Police Force and the Ondo State Security Network Agency, known as Amotekun.
The spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, confirmed that a report of missing persons had been received 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 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,” Abayomi said.
He assured residents that efforts to rescue the farmers were being intensified and appealed to members of the public to remain calm while providing information that could assist the operation.
