Terror in Ora-Igbomina: Gunmen Defy Security to Abduct Two Residents

OSOGBO — The fragile peace of Ora-Igbomina, a border community in the Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State, was shattered late Sunday night as gunmen abducted two residents in a daring midnight raid.

​The victims, identified by police authorities as Tayese Adeyeye and Sunday Adewumi, were forcefully taken from a private residence located along the Aran-Orin Road, in the Papa area of the town.

​A Midnight Siege

​Witness accounts suggest a calculated strike. According to local sources, the kidnappers arrived around 11:30 PM, unleashing a volley of gunfire to terrorize the neighborhood before dragging the victims into the thick forests bordering Osun and Kwara States.

​”We heard the shots and the screaming,” said a resident identified as Mulikat. “Some of our brave men tried to give chase, but the darkness and the superior firepower of the bandits forced them back. They disappeared into the bush with our brothers.”

​A Pattern of Vulnerability

​This latest incident is a painful “déjà vu” for the Ora-Igbomina community. It comes barely two months after the high-profile abduction of a retired Customs officer, Emmanuel Owolabi, who was seized on December 15, 2024. Owolabi was only released on January 12 after his family reportedly paid a multi-million naira ransom—ironically, he was found in Oro Ago, Kwara State, highlighting the “porous” nature of the border between the two states.

​Security analysts have frequently pointed out that the hilly, forested terrain connecting Osun, Kwara, and Ekiti states has become a “security blind spot” exploited by bandits to move victims across state lines, complicating jurisdictional responses.

​Police: “They Struck During the Rain”

​The Osun State Police Command has confirmed the incident, revealing a frustrating twist in the timing of the attack. Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, noted that the perpetrators seemingly waited for a window of opportunity when patrol teams were momentarily hindered by a heavy downpour.

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​”Our men were on patrol, but they had to take cover when the rain began. It was during that brief period that these elements perpetrated this evil act,” Ojelabi stated. He assured the public that a combined team of tactical units and local hunters has been deployed to comb the forest for the victims and their captors.

​Community Under Pressure

​The recurring nature of these kidnappings has sparked fresh calls for the establishment of a permanent security outpost in the Papa area of Ora-Igbomina. With the local economy largely dependent on agriculture, many farmers now fear going to their fields, as the “Aran-Orin Road” axis is increasingly becoming a hunting ground for kidnappers.

​As of Monday evening, the abductors had yet to establish contact with the families of Adeyeye and Adewumi, leaving the community in a state of anxious prayer and mounting frustration.