A 33-year-old poultry farmer, Oreoluwa Osonuga, has been abducted by armed men at the Ikenne Farm Settlement in Ogun State, with the kidnappers reportedly demanding N500m for his release.
Osonuga was allegedly seized at about 12:05pm on Sunday while leaving the farm settlement.
The Chairman of the farm settlement, Seye Kehinde, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying the abductors attacked the farmer’s vehicle before taking him into the bush.
According to Kehinde, security personnel were alerted immediately after the incident, while soldiers were also deployed from Ilese to search the surrounding forest.
Despite the security operation, however, the victim had yet to be rescued as of Monday.
Kehinde said the abductors contacted the family briefly on Sunday evening and demanded N500m in exchange for Osonuga’s freedom.
He said the call was made to a cousin of the victim’s father using the farmer’s mobile phone.
“Today is Day 2. No significant development on either the rescue or release of kidnapped Oreoluwa Osonuga.
“There has not been further contact from the abductors since the brief one made yesterday (Sunday) evening – around 5pm – with a cousin of the victim’s father, during which demand for N500 million ransom was made,” he said.
The settlement chairman said police, anti-kidnapping personnel, soldiers and other security operatives had continued efforts to locate the victim and apprehend the abductors.
He also recalled that another farmer in the settlement was kidnapped on April 1 and spent several days in captivity before regaining freedom after a ransom was reportedly paid.
Speaking with our correspondent on Monday, the victim’s granduncle, Soga Osonuga, confirmed the abduction and appealed to security agencies to intensify efforts to secure his nephew’s release.
He said the family had not received any further communication from the abductors since the initial ransom demand.
“It is true that my nephew was abducted on Sunday. His father is the last born of our parents and I was there when a call was put across to him on Sunday. The statement is true.
“We haven’t heard anything today, Monday, but yesterday someone called the line while we were at the settlement. The police are already aware, but we are also using this opportunity to call on the security agencies to intensify their efforts and ensure that my nephew is safely released,” he said.
Soga described the incident as a major source of emotional distress for the family, saying the victim was working to build a livelihood through farming.
He added, “It has been a very difficult time for the family. We are emotionally and psychologically upset. This is a young man who is trying and struggling to do something reasonable with his life and make ends meet.
“We plead with the government and security agencies to please act fast and help bring back our son safely.”
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Attempts to obtain the reaction of the Ogun State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the command’s spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, were unanswered. Messages sent to his WhatsApp account had also not been responded to as of press time.
The incident comes days after a joint operation involving the police, Department of State Services and Nigerian Army rescued seven students abducted from Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade. Three suspected kidnappers were reportedly neutralised during the operation.
