…“One of the gunmen jumped into our compound. They were young boys and speaking Hausa,
OSUN, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | Suspected gunmen deadly attack in a border community between Osun and Kwara states, Ora, on Monday caused serious panick in the area.
It was reported on Tuesday that the assailants killed a village head, identified simply as Dennis, and abducted a retired Customs officer, Emmanuel Owolabi.
Residents said the kidnapping triggered panic in the area, forcing people to flee in different directions as the gunmen escaped into the bush with their victim.
Owolabi’s wife, Titilayo, in a statement said that the incident occurred a few minutes before 7pm in front of their residence on Akisa Road, Ora, Osun State.
She explained that her husband had briefly visited her shop after she closed for the day before heading elsewhere in the town, while she returned home to prepare dinner.
According to her, she was about to serve her children food when she heard gunshots near the entrance of their compound.
“I closed my shop around 6:30pm, and my husband came by and asked me to go home. After cooking, I was about to serve the children when I heard a gunshot.
“At first, I thought it was hunters, but the gunfire became intense. Then I heard my husband’s voice outside our fence,” she recounted.
Titilayo said she did not realise her husband was being held by bandits and went outside to see what was happening.
“One of the gunmen jumped into our compound. They were young boys and speaking Hausa, so I knelt and spoke to him in Hausa. Instead of answering, he began to beat me and demanded money.
“While they were shooting, I suddenly heard the sound of a motorcycle taking my husband into the bush,” she said.
She added that the two gunmen in her compound later jumped over the fence and fled, appealing for help to ensure her husband’s safe return.
Community sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the incident, also revealed that the attackers shot dead a village chief, Dennis, while he was returning from his farm as they fled the area.
Confirming the incident on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said security operatives had been deployed to comb the surrounding bush.
“Immediately after the incident, police operatives and local volunteers pursued the gunmen. We are making concerted efforts to rescue the victim.
“One person was shot, but the killing did not occur in Osun State. The location where the village head was killed falls within Kwara State,” he said.
