Reported by: L. Imafidon | Edited by: Carmen Diego
Suspected armed kidnappers have abducted Joseph Kayode Aladesuyi, the Secretary of Okeluju Local Council Development Area in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, along with two other individuals in a brazen attack near Akure Airport that has heightened security concerns in the region. The incident occurred on Monday morning at a farm settlement along Kajola Road in the Ilu-Abo community of Akure North Local Government Area, an area located roughly five kilometres from the Akure Airport.
According to multiple reports and local sources, the attackers—believed to be heavily armed kidnappers—stormed the farm where Aladesuyi was conducting routine activities. Witnesses said the gunmen arrived in a group and began firing sporadically into the air to intimidate people in the area before overpowering the victims.
Aladesuyi, who is also known as an agro-investor and Managing Director of Jotina Farms, had reportedly arrived at the farm earlier in the morning for inspection work. A family member said he had come to the farm around 9 a.m. accompanied by his daughter when the gunmen suddenly appeared. The attackers reportedly dragged him away despite resistance, and during the struggle he was shot in the hand before being forced into the nearby forest.
The attackers, numbering about ten according to eyewitness accounts, seized the council official and two other people believed to have been working or present on the farm. While Aladesuyi’s daughter was reportedly left unharmed, the kidnappers warned her that they were taking her father away before fleeing into the surrounding bush paths with their captives.
The identities of the other two abducted victims have not been fully confirmed in early reports, although police sources identified one of them as a woman named Easter Akinlolu. Authorities said the attackers appeared to have emerged from a nearby forest before carrying out the operation and retreating through the same route.
The sound of gunfire triggered panic across the rural community. Residents reported that parents rushed to nearby schools to withdraw their children amid fears that the attackers could extend their operations beyond the farm settlement. Some schools reportedly closed temporarily as the situation created widespread anxiety among villagers.
Security agencies responded shortly after the incident. The Ondo State Police Command confirmed that armed men invaded the poultry farm and abducted the victims after firing gunshots into the air. Police spokesperson DSP Jimoh Abayomi said the command had deployed tactical teams and detectives to the area immediately after receiving information about the attack.
According to the police, search and rescue operations have been launched, with security personnel combing nearby forests and surrounding communities where the kidnappers are believed to have fled. Officers are working alongside the regional Amotekun security corps and local vigilante groups to track down the perpetrators and secure the release of the abducted victims.
The Commissioner of Police in the state reportedly ordered a full deployment of operational and intelligence resources to facilitate the rescue effort. Authorities said security patrols in the area have also been intensified in an attempt to prevent further attacks in nearby settlements.
The kidnapping has sparked renewed concerns about insecurity in parts of Ondo State, particularly rural communities around Akure North where farmers and residents have increasingly complained about attacks by armed gangs. Local leaders say several incidents of abduction and killings have occurred in the area in recent months, forcing some farmers to abandon their land for fear of being targeted.
Community representatives argue that the repeated attacks indicate a growing security challenge that requires stronger government intervention. One local leader noted that many residents are beginning to relocate from vulnerable villages due to the increasing threat posed by kidnappers operating in nearby forests.
The incident has also drawn attention because it occurred only days after Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa reportedly described recent security incidents in the state as isolated cases. Critics say the kidnapping of a serving council official near a major transport hub underscores the seriousness of the security threat facing communities around the state capital.
As of the latest reports, the kidnappers had not yet contacted the victims’ families to demand ransom. However, residents fear that negotiations may soon follow, as ransom payments have become a common feature of kidnapping operations in parts of Nigeria.
Security operatives continue to search forested areas around Akure North in an effort to locate the abductors and rescue the victims. Meanwhile, residents of Ilu-Abo and surrounding communities remain on edge, with many hoping authorities will move quickly to secure the release of the kidnapped council secretary and the other victims.
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