Unknown gunmen have kidnapped a yet to be identified couple along Akure-Owo Expressway at Uso community in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Tuesday evening. The victims were said to be travelling to Akure, the state capital from the eastern part of the country with their three children, where they had gone for the Christmas holiday, when the hoodlums attacked them and whisked them away, leaving their children behind at Uso.
A source narrated that the gunmen attacked the couple who was travelling in a Lexus saloon car, with the registration number KTU 488 GA, dragged them into the forest, and left their underage children. The source said, “The car of the couple had a minor accident on the expressway, and as they were trying to fix the car, the bandits got out of the bush and kidnapped the couple and left their children. The children were later handed over to the police.” The kidnappers are yet to make contacts with the families of the couple it was learnt.
In a related development, a resident of the Uso community, identified as Olatunbosun Johnson, was also kidnapped on a farm within the community on Sunday. A source said Johnson who went with four other persons to the farm was unlucky as he was abducted with a Hausa man whom he had employed to work in the farm but others escaped.
The source disclosed that the incident was reported to the police and a team of Amotekun Corps, police, and the military had been combing the forest in the area. The source also mentioned that one Muhammed Aliu was arrested in the bush by the security men during the search and had been handed over to the police.
He said, “The kidnappers demanded N5 million as ransom from the family but later made a u-turn on Tuesday evening demanding N10million after the family told them the N5 million was ready. We pleaded with them but they remained adamant, threatened to kill the young man if the family failed to produce N10million ransom within 24 hours.”
When contacted the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Tee-Leo Ikoro, who confirmed the incident, said men of the state police command and other sister agencies had been combing the forest to rescue Johnson and the couple and bring the perpetrators to book.