Panic gripped Ora, a community straddling the Osun-Kwara boundary, on Monday evening after armed men abducted a retired Customs officer, Emmanuel Owolabi, in a brazen attack that also claimed the life of a village chief.
The abduction occurred a few minutes before 7 p.m. on Akisa Road, Ora, Osun State, directly in front of the victim’s residence. Residents were thrown into confusion as gunshots rang out and the assailants fled into the surrounding bush with their victim.
Recounting the incident, Owolabi’s wife, Titilayo, said her husband had briefly visited her shop shortly after she closed around 6:30 p.m. and asked her to return home. She explained that while her husband went to attend to another matter in town, she went home to prepare dinner for their children.
According to her, she had just finished cooking and was about to serve the meal when she heard gunshots at the entrance of their compound.
“At first, I thought the shots were from hunters who sometimes come around here, but the gunfire became intense. Later, I heard my husband’s voice outside the fence,” she said.
Unaware that her husband was already in the grip of the gunmen, Titilayo said she went outside to investigate. She narrated that one of the assailants jumped into their compound while others remained outside, firing shots.
“They were speaking Hausa, and they looked like young boys. I knelt down and spoke Hausa to him, begging him, but instead of answering me, he started beating me and demanded money,” she said.
She added that amid the chaos, she heard the sound of a motorcycle speeding off, conveying her husband towards the bush. Moments later, the two gunmen inside the compound jumped over the fence and escaped.
“My husband is a retired Customs officer. I am appealing to everyone to help us bring him back home safely,” she pleaded.
Community sources further disclosed that while escaping the area, the gunmen shot and killed a village chief identified simply as Dennis. The chief was reportedly returning from his farm when he was attacked.
Confirming the incident on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said security operatives had intensified efforts to rescue the abducted officer.
“Immediately the incident happened, police operatives, alongside other volunteers, chased after the gunmen. Additional deployment has been made to comb the bush in the area,” he said.
Ojelabi clarified that although the abduction occurred in Osun State, the killing of the village chief happened within Kwara State territory.
“We are working hard to rescue the victim. One person was shot, but not within Osun. The location where he was killed falls within Kwara State,” the police spokesperson added.
The incident has once again heightened fears over worsening insecurity along border communities between Osun and Kwara states, with residents calling for sustained security presence to prevent further attacks.
