By OLAJIDE IDOWU

Suspected gunmen on Monday night attacked a community in Ora Igbomina, Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun, allegedly kidnapped a former customs officer and killed one person.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday about the incident, the Inurin of Ora‑Igbomina, High Chief Sunday Fadipe, said that the bandits entered the town at about 7:00 p.m.

Fadipe said that, on arriving in the town, the bandits went straight to the residence of the former customs officer and abducted him.

According to him, the victim was returning home when the bandits, who had set an ambush at his house, abducted him.

Fadipe said that the bandits, while trying to escape through farmland in Akisa Area, saw a man working on his farm with a headlamp and allegedly shot him dead.

He said it was the deceased’s 10‑year‑old son, who was with him at the time of the incident, who came to town to report the matter.

Fadipe said the police had been informed about the incident and they are on the trail of the bandits.

Fadipe, however, called on the government to provide more security for the town, saying Ora‑Igbomina shares a boundary with Ekiti and Kwara states.

When contacted, Osun Police Spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, told NAN that the police had been informed about the incident.

Ojelabi said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the town had visited the residence of the kidnapped ex‑customs officer to get more facts.

Ojelabi said the incident was a case of kidnapping, adding that the report that one person was killed has not been confirmed or substantiated.

“Immediately we heard about the incident, our tactical teams were deployed and they have been on the trail of the suspects.

"We have a tactical team on the ground in the town, and with support from forest guards, vigilantes and local security personnel, they are combing the bushes to rescue the victim.

“The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ibrahim Gotan, has deployed more tactical teams to the area, and the investigation is ongoing as the police are on the trail of the kidnappers,” he said. (NAN)

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