By IBUKUN EMIOLA (News Agency of Nigeria)

For Mr Tunde Adams (not his real name), March 18 began like every other day—with zeal for the upcoming cocoa farming season.

The elderly cocoa farmer and members of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria had travelled to the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Idi-Ayunre, Ibadan, Oyo State, to submit requests for cocoa seedlings ahead of the planting season.

Their visit to the institute’s seed garden lasted barely 20 minutes before armed men struck.

“As we were leaving, the kidnappers intercepted our vehicle, forced us down and led us into the bush.”

He said that five persons were initially seized during the attack, while, he with three others were eventually taken away by the abductors.

Adams said he was later released after the kidnappers collected the money in his purse, apparently because of his old age, leaving three farmers in captivity.

“We walked about 40 to 50 minutes inside the bush before I was released,” he said.

The ordeal, however, did not end there.

Adams said relatives and associates of the remaining victims later paid about N15 million ransom before the abducted persons regained freedom.

The incident at CRIN was one among a growing list of kidnapping cases that have heightened fears across parts of Oyo State in recent months.

Security records and community accounts indicate that rural communities, forest corridors and border areas within the state are increasingly becoming vulnerable to armed attacks and abductions.

Another such incident was when the Old Oyo National Park was attacked by armed assailants on the night of Jan. 6.

The deadly assault on the park’s ranger office in Oloka Village, Oriire Local Government Area, resulted in the deaths of five forest guards and park personnel.

On May 15, armed attackers raided Baptist Nursery/Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in Ahoro-Esinele communities in Oriire Local Government Area Ogbomosho axis, Oyo State.

Community sources said between 25 and more than 40 pupils, students, teachers and school workers were affected during the attacks, including a school principal, Mrs Rachael Alamu.

Reports from the area also indicated that one of the abducted teachers was later killed by the kidnappers.

Residents said the attackers escaped through thick forest routes surrounding the communities, making rescue operations difficult for security personnel.

Gov. Seyi Makinde confirmed that 32 people were kidnapped, including 18 primary school pupils, seven teachers and seven students of Community Grammar School.

The Oriire/Ogbomosho axis lies within northern Oyo State and connects several rural settlements, forest reserves and boundary corridors used by travellers moving between parts of the South-West and North-Central Nigeria.

Residents and security experts say kidnappers increasingly exploit the thick forests and difficult terrain in the area to evade arrest and move victims between hideouts.

Just on the heels of the kidnapping incident at Oriire LGA, another one struck at Idi-Ayunre in Ibadan on the eve of May 18.

The Police Command in Oyo State confirmed the abduction of two staff members of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) Idi-Ayunre, while it also debunked false reports circulating on social media alleging a mass abduction within Ibadan and surrounding communities.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said the incident happened on at about 6:00 p.m., when armed men reportedly invaded the premises of CRIN at Idi-Ayunre and abducted two staffers to an unknown destination.

Back in Ogbomosho, Mr Oladele Olaniyi, a resident of Ikoyi-Ile in Oriire Local Government Area, recalled that panic spread quickly after the May 15 attacks in the area.

According to him, local security teams comprising hunters, vigilantes, Amotekun operatives, police officers and soldiers later mobilised into the forests where the abductors reportedly fled.

However, tragedy reportedly struck during the rescue effort.

“We later gathered that the kidnappers used explosives on the search team and that led to the death of one Amotekun officer and one hunter on the spot.”

Olaniyi added that other injured officers, including head of the security personnel involved in the operation, were receiving treatment in Ogbomosho.

According to him, the affected communities are located within vast forest reserve areas stretching from Ahoro-Esinele, Yawota, and Oloka.

He noted that fear had since spread across the communities; with some residents relocating while others avoided farming and commercial activities.

“You can hardly find people moving around normally again because everyone is afraid,” he said.

The recent incidents are not isolated.

Earlier in 2026, joint security forces reportedly foiled attempted abductions along the Mamu/Ijebu-Ode Road in the Onigambari axis of Oyo State, rescuing passengers and arresting suspects linked to kidnapping activities.

Security experts say the repeated incidents suggest that kidnappers are increasingly targeting isolated rural corridors, schools and farming communities where security presence is limited.

Prof. Nelson Fashina, Deputy Commander General of the Nigerian Forest Guards Security Service, described the situation as evidence that the South-West was gradually coming under pressure from organised criminal networks.

He called on the Oyo State Government to strengthen community surveillance systems and expand local security collaboration to tackle the growing threats.

Similarly, Prof. Olawole Albert of the Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan, warned that persistent insecurity could push citizens toward self-help if governments fail to improve protection of lives and property.

Albert expressed concern over reports that criminal groups deployed tactics and operational methods previously associated with insurgent activities in northern Nigeria.

Also speaking, Prof. Abubakar Oladeji, Head of Political and Governance Policy Department of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), blamed recurring attacks partly on intelligence failures and reactive policing.

According to him, security agencies must improve surveillance, intelligence gathering and rapid response systems while communities also become more proactive in reporting suspicious activities.

He further advocated strengthening regional security outfits such as Amotekun through improved recruitment, technology and coordinations.

“These people will not just come and attack without enough surveillance and gathering of information,” he said.

He called for greater community participation in security efforts, urging residents to promptly report suspicious activities and abandon the belief that security is solely the responsibility of government.

Oladeji also advocated strengthening the South-West security network, Amotekun, through increased recruitment, better training and improved technological support such as drones and digital communication systems.

According to him, many developed countries already deploy advanced surveillance technologies in rescue operations and forest monitoring, tools Nigeria has yet to fully utilise.

More so, Makinde said the state government had adopted both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to rescue abducted victims and address insecurity in vulnerable areas.

The governor confirmed that tactical teams involving soldiers, Amotekun operatives, hunters and other security personnel had been deployed to the Oriire axis, though one rescue team reportedly encountered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by the abductors.

He also acknowledged that increasing military pressure on terrorists and bandits in parts of Northern Nigeria could be contributing to the southward movement of criminal elements.

Makinde noted that part of Oyo State government’s efforts in combating insecurity was the procurement of surveillance aircraft to start operation in June.

In addition, Olayinka said the command, under Commissioner of Police (CP) Abimbola Olugbenga, would leave no stone unturned.

He said that in collaboration with other security agencies and local security outfits, were sustaining coordinated operations aimed at rescuing victims, dismantling criminal hideouts and restoring public confidence in affected communities.

“Surveillance, intelligence gathering and joint patrols had also been strengthened in identified flashpoints, particularly within rural communities and forested areas, while residents were urged to remain vigilant and promptly provide useful information that could assist security agencies in combating criminal activities across the state,’’ he said.

Olayinka noted that the command had made significant improvements in intelligence-driven policing through the deployment of technology and strategic security measures.

For residents of vulnerable communities across Oyo State, however, the fear is no longer theoretical, it is real.

Farmers now return home earlier than before; parents worry about sending children to school; travellers increasingly avoid lonely roads and isolated bush paths.

Across many rural communities, ordinary daily activities are gradually being reshaped by fear.

Observers say the solution lies in synergy and the political will to rid Oyo’s forests of criminal elements and guarantee citizens’ safety. (NAN)

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