Gunmen abduct ex-Customs officer, kill one in Osun border community

On Monday evening, gunmen attacked Ora, a community located on the boundary between Osun and Kwara, abducting a retired Customs officer named Emmanuel Owolabi.

Residents who spoke with our correspondent reported that the abduction caused widespread panic within the community, prompting individuals to flee in various directions as the assailants escaped into the nearby bush with the victim.

The victim’s wife, Titilayo, stated that the incident took place in front of Owolabi’s residence on Akisa Road, Ora, Osun State, just a few minutes before 7 p.m.

In recounting the event, Titilayo mentioned that her husband had visited her shop shortly after she had closed for the day.

As he proceeded to another location within the town, she returned home to prepare dinner.

She recounted that after completing the meal and while awaiting her husband’s return, she heard gunfire at the entrance of their compound.

“When I closed my shop around 6:30 p.m., my husband came around and asked me to go home. When I got home, I cooked and was about to serve my children their food when I heard a gunshot.

“I initially thought the shots were from hunters who sometimes come around, but the gunshots became sporadic. Later, I heard my husband’s voice outside our fence,” she said.

She added, “I didn’t know he was being held by bandits. I went out to check what was happening.

“One of the gunmen jumped over the fence into our compound. Those I saw were young boys. I knelt down and spoke Hausa to him because they were speaking Hausa. Instead of responding, he started beating me.

“He asked me for money. While all this was going on, they were firing shots. The next thing I heard was the sound of a motorcycle conveying my husband towards the bush.

“The two gunmen in our compound then jumped over the fence into the bush and fled. My husband is a retired Customs officer. People should help us bring him back home safely,” Titilayo said.

Sources in the community also said that while fleeing the area, the gunmen shot dead a village chief, identified simply as Dennis, who was returning from his farm.

When contacted on Tuesday, the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the incident.

Ojelabi, however, said more deployment had been made to comb the bush in the area.

“Immediately the incident happened yesterday, police operatives and other volunteers chased after the gunmen.

“We are working hard to rescue the victim. One person was shot, but not within Osun. Where they killed him falls within Kwara State,” he said.