Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The quiet evening calm of Ilu‑Abo community in Akure North Local Government Area was shattered on Sunday when three armed men emerged from a nearby bush, dragged a local government official from his doorstep and disappeared with him into the darkness – all in full view of his wife and two young children who could do nothing but watch.
Samson Gbenga Sanni, a staff member of the Akure North Local Government Council popularly known as “Timber”, was abducted at about 7:10 pm on June 7, 2026, in the Agbelere area of Ilu‑Abo community, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State. Sources said he had just returned home from work, likely tired and eager to rest, when the assailants – believed to be three in number – launched their well‑planned operation. According to accounts gathered by several media outlets, the gunmen had laid an ambush in a nearby bush and waited for the moment Sanni arrived. They then emerged, seized him in front of his home, and forcefully took him to an unknown destination.
Multiple sources confirmed that Sanni’s wife and two children were inside the house when the incident occurred and could do nothing as the gunmen carried out the abduction. A community leader who spoke to Tribune Online described the incident as deeply disturbing, noting that residents had become increasingly worried about security in the area. “The kidnappers appeared to have monitored his movement. He had barely settled in after returning home when they emerged from the bush and took him away. The entire community is in fear because of what happened,” the source said.
Sanni, who is said to be an indigene of Akunu‑Akoko in the Akoko North‑West Local Government Area of the state, is well known among residents and colleagues within the local government system.
The Ondo State Police Command has confirmed the abduction. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said the command had been officially informed and that officers and tactical teams had been deployed to the area to secure the safe rescue of the victim and apprehend those responsible. Police sources indicated that a manhunt is currently under way, and intelligence gathering is being intensified to track down the kidnappers.
In a separate incident that has further heightened alarm across the state, suspected gunmen abducted a female filling station attendant while she was on duty in the Emure‑Ile area of Owo Local Government Area, also in Ondo State. Sources said the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, June 8, when the attackers took the victim to an unknown destination. Details of that abduction remain sketchy as of the time of this report, but police authorities confirmed that investigations have commenced, and efforts are being made to rescue the attendant and arrest the perpetrators.
The back‑to‑back abductions have thrown residents of Ilu‑Abo and surrounding communities into fear and renewed concerns over the growing insecurity in parts of Ondo State. According to a report by Very Nigerian, no fewer than three residents of Ilu‑Abo community have been kidnapped in the last one month alone. The community, located about five kilometres from the Akure airport, has witnessed repeated invasions in recent months, including a January 2026 incident in which a businessman was trailed to the community and abducted. In April 2026, newtelegraphng.com reported that the area had become so notorious for abduction that a local leader lamented how the community had turned from a “city of refuge” into a “den of kidnappers”.
The Ondo State Police Command has said it is intensifying efforts to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state, and has urged residents to provide useful information that could assist ongoing rescue operations. As of this report, the whereabouts of both Mr Sanni and the female filling station attendant remain unknown. The gunmen have not made any contact with the families to demand ransom, and no group has claimed responsibility for either abduction.
For the people of Ilu‑Abo, the trauma is not just about one man taken from his doorstep. It is about a pattern: week after week, month after month, the same story – a knock on the door, the sound of gunfire, a vehicle speeding away into the bush, and a family left to wonder if this time, their loved one will ever return.
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