Gunmen Kill Osun Village Head, Abduct Retired Officer
Wellington Jopelo
Panic swept through Ora, a community straddling the Osun–Kwara boundary, after suspected gunmen launched a deadly attack that left a village head dead and a retired Customs officer abducted.
Residents said the assailants struck shortly before nightfall, opening fire and causing people to flee in fear as the gunmen escaped into the surrounding bush with their captive.
The abducted victim, identified as Emmanuel Owolabi, was reportedly seized in front of his residence along Akisa Road, Ora, Osun State. His wife, Titilayo, recounted that the incident happened a few minutes before 7pm.
According to her, Owolabi had briefly stopped by her shop after she closed for the day and later moved on to another part of the town, while she returned home to prepare dinner for their children.
She said calm turned into chaos moments later.
“When I closed my shop around 6:30pm, 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,” she said.
“At first, I thought it was hunters because they sometimes fire shots around here, but the gunshots became frequent. Then I heard my husband’s voice outside our fence,” she added.
Unaware that her husband was already in the grip of the attackers, Titilayo said she stepped outside to find out what was happening.
“I didn’t know he was being held by bandits. When I came out, one of the gunmen jumped over the fence into our compound. They were speaking Hausa, so I knelt down and spoke Hausa to him,” she said.
She explained that her plea was ignored.
“Instead of answering me, he started beating me. He asked for money, and while all this was happening, they kept firing shots. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a motorcycle carrying my husband towards the bush,” she said.
Titilayo added that the gunmen inside the compound later scaled the fence and disappeared into the bush.
“My husband is a retired customs officer. People should help us bring him back home safely,” she appealed.
Community sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the incident, said the attackers shot and killed a village chief identified simply as Dennis while he was returning from his farm during their escape. The deceased was said to be a respected leader within the area.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said security operatives had been deployed to the area to track the attackers.
“Immediately after the incident happened yesterday, police operatives and other volunteers chased after the gunmen,” he said.
Ojelabi noted that efforts were ongoing to rescue the abducted victim.
“We are working hard to rescue the victim. One person was shot, but not in Osun. Where they killed him falls within Kwara State,” he added, assuring residents that security patrols had been intensified in the border communities.