By Deborah Nnamdi
Fear has gripped Ora, a community along the Osun–Kwara boundary, following an attack by gunmen who abducted a retired Customs officer, Emmanuel Owolabi, and killed a resident.
Residents said the assailants stormed the community on Monday evening, firing gunshots that sent people fleeing in different directions before escaping into the bush with the victim.
It was gathered that the attackers abducted Owolabi after shooting sporadically in the area, while another resident was killed during the incident.
Owolabi’s wife, Titilayo, said the attack occurred a few minutes before 7 p.m. in front of their house on Akisa Road, Ora, Osun State. She recounted that her husband had visited her shop shortly after she closed for the day and asked her to return home.
According to her, she had finished cooking and was about to serve her children when she heard gunshots at the entrance to their compound.
“When I closed my shop around 6:30 p.m., my husband came around and asked me to go home. I cooked and was about to serve my children when I heard a gunshot. At first, I thought it was hunters, but the gunshots became frequent,” she said.
She explained that she later heard her husband’s voice outside their fence and went out to see what was happening, unaware that he was being held by the attackers.
“One of the gunmen jumped into our compound. They were young boys and were speaking Hausa. I knelt and spoke Hausa to him, but he started beating me and demanded money. They kept firing shots, and the next thing I heard was the sound of a motorcycle taking my husband into the bush,” she added.
Titilayo said the gunmen later fled through the bush, appealing to the public to help secure her husband’s safe return.
Community sources also disclosed that while escaping, the gunmen shot dead a village chief identified simply as Dennis, who was returning from his farm.
Confirming the incident, the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said security operatives had been deployed to the area.
“Immediately the incident happened, police operatives and other volunteers chased after the gunmen. We are working hard to rescue the victim,” he said, adding that the killing occurred within Kwara State territory.
