KEY POINTS
- Gunmen abduction Osun border attack left one person dead.
- Retired Customs officer was seized near his home.
- Police expanded bush patrols across boundary communities.
Gunmen on Monday evening attacked Ora, a community along the Osun–Kwara boundary, abducting a retired Customs officer and killing a village chief during the assault, residents and police said.
The incident unfolded shortly before 7 p.m. on Akisa Road in Ora, where Emmanuel Owolabi, a former Customs officer, was seized near his residence. Witnesses said the attackers arrived armed, firing sporadically and forcing residents to flee as they dragged the victim toward surrounding bush paths.
The sudden violence triggered panic across the community, with families abandoning their homes amid fears of further attacks. Residents said the gunmen appeared familiar with the terrain and escaped quickly using motorcycles.
Owolabi’s wife, Titilayo, said the abduction happened moments after she returned home from her shop. She said her husband had briefly stopped by earlier in the evening before heading elsewhere in town.
After preparing dinner, she said she heard gunshots near their compound entrance. At first, she mistook the sound for hunters, who sometimes operate nearby. The shooting intensified minutes later.
She said she then heard her husband’s voice outside their fence but did not realize he had been captured. When she stepped outside, one of the attackers jumped into the compound.
Gunmen abduction Osun border shocks residents
According to Punch, Titilayo said the attackers spoke Hausa and appeared young. She said she knelt and addressed one of them in Hausa, hoping to calm the situation. Instead, she said the man beat her and demanded money while gunfire continued nearby.
Moments later, she heard the sound of a motorcycle moving toward the bush. She said it was carrying her husband away from the compound and added that two gunmen who entered the compound later fled into the bush after rejoining their accomplices. She appealed for help, describing her husband as a retired Customs officer who posed no threat.
Community sources said that while fleeing, the gunmen shot and killed a village chief identified as Dennis. He was returning from his farm when he was attacked.
Security response to the gunmen abduction
The Osun State Police Command confirmed the incident on Tuesday. Spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi said security operatives moved quickly after the attack. He said police officers and local volunteers pursued the gunmen into nearby forest areas shortly after the abduction. Additional deployments have since been made to comb the surrounding bush.
Ojelabi said the killing of the village chief occurred within Kwara State jurisdiction, not Osun, due to the boundary location of the attack.
Police said efforts remain ongoing to rescue the abducted officer and restore calm in the area. Residents, however, said fear remains high as rural communities along the border continue to face security threats.
