Gunmen Kidnap Oyo Headmaster, Demand N30 Million Ransom

​ITESIWAJU, OYO STATE — The fragile sense of relief following the recent rescue of over 40 schoolchildren in Oyo State has been shattered by the abduction of Kolawale Mathew Owoade, a 60-year-old headmaster, in the Itesiwaju Local Government Area.

​Mr. Owoade, the headmaster of Nomadic Basic School in Igbojaye, was reportedly seized by unidentified gunmen between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2026. The victim, popularly known as “Onaiye,” was intercepted while returning home from his farm in Budo Aare.

​Ransom Demand and Family Appeal

Following the abduction, the perpetrators contacted the victim’s family using his personal mobile phone to demand a ransom of N30 million for his safe release.

​The victim’s son, Abiola Owoade, has made a desperate plea to security agencies for immediate intervention. “We are calling on the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Western Nigeria Security Network—Amotekun—as well as local hunters and vigilantes to mobilize and rescue my father,” he stated.

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​A local search team discovered the headmaster’s abandoned motorcycle in a bush on Sunday morning, July 12, but there has been no sign of Mr. Owoade since.

​Police Response

Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed the incident on Monday. “I can confirm that a farmer, Mathew Owoade, was kidnapped at his farm in Budo Aare, and efforts are currently underway to rescue the man unharmed and apprehend the perpetrators,” Ayanlade stated.

​Context: A Region on Edge

The kidnapping occurs just days after a high-profile, successful rescue operation in the state. On Friday, July 10, 2026, joint security forces secured the release of over 40 pupils and teachers who had been held for 56 days following a mid-May attack on schools in the Oriire LGA.

​The recurrence of such security threats has left the local education community and residents deeply concerned, as they continue to urge the government to fortify rural security measures.