By David Akinadewo-Adekahunsi
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Monday abducted the Secretary of Okeluju Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Joseph Aladesuyi, along with two other individuals.
Aladesuyi, who is also the Managing Director of Jotina Farms, was reportedly abducted at his farm located in the Kajola axis of Ilu-Abo in Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
The community where this incident took place, lies less than five kilometres from the Akure Airport.
Nigerian Monitor reliably gathered that the incident occurred around 10:00 a.m. on Monday, throwing the community into tension, especially as the area has witnessed a series of killings and abductions in recent weeks.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that about 10 heavily armed men stormed the farm and overpowered the victims before whisking them away into the surrounding forest.
Sources close to the family disclosed that Aladesuyi had arrived at the farm around 9:00 a.m. with his daughter and was carrying out routine activities when the gunmen invaded the premises.
According to the source, the attackers fired sporadically into the air on arrival, creating panic before dragging the council official away.
“He arrived at his farm around 9:00 a.m. with his daughter. Shortly after, the kidnappers, who were about 10, arrived and shot sporadically into the air. They dragged him, but he struggled with them and one of them shot him in the hand before taking him away.
“They left his daughter alone but told her clearly that they were kidnapping her father. We are anxiously waiting for their call because we do not know his condition at the moment after he was shot in the hand,” the family source said.
The identities of the two other individuals reportedly kidnapped alongside the council secretary had not been confirmed as of press time.
Family members were also yet to receive any contact from the suspected kidnappers regarding a possible ransom demand.
Following the gunshots, panic reportedly spread across the community, with many parents rushing to schools to withdraw their children and wards.
Security operatives, including personnel of the Nigeria Police, the Amotekun Corps and local vigilante groups, have reportedly launched a search operation in the surrounding forests where the attackers are believed to have fled.
Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state command, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said he had not yet received full details of the incident.
The latest development comes amid ongoing security concerns in parts of Ondo State, particularly in Akure North and the Owo/Akoko axis.
Meanwhile, recently, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa maintained that bandits and terrorists had not operated anywhere in the state since the 2022 Owo Catholic Church massacre.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, who was fielding questions from senior journalists on a special live TV interview last weekend, stated that the reported abductions and killings were isolated cases unjustly promoted by some sections of the media.
He pointed out that some of the reported incidents were fuelled by misunderstanding among some individuals in certain communities and the quest of others to use such scenarios to settle personal scores.
