From Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
Three farm managers have reportedly been abducted by six heavily armed suspected kidnappers at their commercial poultry farms at Pampo community in Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Daily Sun learnt that the incident happened at about 4:00 pm on Monday in the agricultural farm community located on Eyenkorin Afon Ogele road in the local government area.
It was gathered that the suspected kidnappers, dressed in army uniform, shot into the air when they arrived in a Hilux vehicle at one of the two farms.
The suspected kidnappers reportedly got hold of the chief security officer in the farm and locked him inside a room, before they took off with the two farm workers in the first poultry farm.
A source close to the owner of the second farm -Mirola Farm – said that the bandits also abducted his farm manager when they visited his farm on their way out of the community.
According to him, the suspected kidnappers had contacted the farm owners, demanding N45 million for the three people abducted.
He said the people kidnapped are two males and a female, adding that the bandits spoke like Fulani ‘in the way they spoke in Yoruba language when we talked on phone,’ the source said.
‘On Monday, at about 4:30 pm, six suspected kidnappers in army uniform heavily armed with AK-47 rifles, abducted three farm managers in our farms.
‘They took two farm managers and on their way out of the first farm, they branched to my farm to take my own farm manager, too, making three people kidnapped. Two males and one female,’ the source stated.
The source said that the matter has been reported to police, adding that the police intelligence had even discovered that the suspected kidnappers are still around a location in Lasoju community.
‘We have been contacted by them. They demanded N15 million each for the kidnapped people, making a sum of N45 million. We begged them to take N1 million for the three people, explaining that we’re poor farmers. They said we should go and get good money before the release of our people.’
When contacted, Kwara State Police Command spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi said he was yet to receive information about the incident.