22 Days in Captivity: Osun LG Vice Chairman Still Held as Family Struggles to Raise ₦50m Ransom

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

Twenty-two days after he was abducted by gunmen in Ora, Osun State, the Vice Chairman of Ifedayo Local Government Area, Mr Debo Farounbi, has yet to regain his freedom, with his family struggling to raise a ₦50 million ransom demand while the police say two suspects have been arrested and remanded.

Farounbi was abducted at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Ora, a boundary community along the Osun-Kwara border, by gunmen suspected to be bandits. Three other people were also abducted during the attack. However, sources in the community said military personnel and local vigilantes stationed in the town mounted strong resistance, forcing the attackers to abandon three of the victims while escaping with Farounbi after a fierce gun battle.

A close family source told The PUNCH on Tuesday that the abductors contacted Farounbi's family a few days after the abduction and initially demanded a ransom of ₦200 million. Another family source said the kidnappers had reduced their demand to ₦50 million after days of negotiations.

"It is true that they demanded ₦200 million. They used his mobile phone to contact his family. But after days of negotiations, the amount has been reduced to ₦50 million, but his family are still struggling to raise the money," one source told The PUNCH. "There was a day the abductors took photographs of him and sent them to his relatives to put pressure on them. There is growing concern about his state of health".

The source added that as of 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, Farounbi had not been released. "I don't even think there are any active search-and-rescue efforts by the security agencies anymore," the source lamented.

When contacted, the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the command was still working towards the safe rescue of the victim. He added that the police were unaware of any ransom negotiations between the victim's family and the abductors.

Ojelabi also disclosed that two suspects arrested in the forest shortly after the abduction had been arraigned and remanded in a correctional centre. "We are still working with the information available to us to secure the victim's safe rescue. Two people were arrested in the forest after the abduction and, following our investigation, they were charged to court. The court has since remanded them in a correctional centre. We are working hard to rescue the victim," Ojelabi said.

The abduction has heightened concerns over security challenges facing communities located along the Osun-Kwara boundary, where residents have repeatedly complained about attacks by kidnappers operating through forest corridors connecting both states. Ora community has witnessed several kidnapping incidents in recent months, raising questions about the effectiveness of security measures introduced after previous attacks.

In December 2025, suspected kidnappers abducted a retired Customs officer, Emmanuel Owolabi, from the community. Barely two months later, suspected gunmen returned to the community and abducted two other residents in a separate attack, further heightening fears among locals.

Community leaders in the region have repeatedly called for increased security presence in the area, arguing that the town's location near forested border routes makes it vulnerable to attacks by criminal groups. AbdulAzeez Adewuyi, who lives in Ondo State but has relatives in Ora, told PREMIUM TIMES that the recurring incidents have forced families to reconsider living in the area, with rising insecurity adversely affecting farming, trading, and other economic activities. "Some people said they cannot live in those areas because of attacks on them. Some people that lived there even moved out after simultaneous attacks early this year," he said.

The abduction also adds to growing concerns about kidnapping and violent attacks across parts of the South-West, where criminal groups have increasingly exploited remote forests and inter-state boundaries to evade security operations. Security experts have warned that communities located along state borders require stronger intelligence gathering, coordinated patrols, and closer collaboration among security agencies to prevent criminal groups from establishing safe routes and hideouts.

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