Panic As Suspected Terrorists Abduct Amotekun Official In Oyo State

A suspected group of terrorists has abducted a member of the Amotekun Corps in Budo Alhaji village, located in Orelope Local Government Area of Oyo State. This was disclosed by a security source on Wednesday. It was learnt that the victim, identified as Rabiu Akeem, was kidnapped on July 14 at about 5:30pm while in the forest along Ighoho–Igbope–Igbeti road. He was one of three armed Amotekun officers deployed to the area who had entered the forest to gather firewood when armed men suddenly ambushed them. The Amotekun Commander in Orelope Local Government Area, simply identified as Taofeeq, alongside another officer, Ogunikojo Ojekunle Lekan, reported the incident to the Ighoho Police Division at about 10:53pm. Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer in Ighoho promptly mobilised a combined team comprising police operatives, Amotekun corps, local vigilantes, and hunters to the scene. A search-and-rescue operation was immediately launched, involving extensive bush combing aimed at locating the missing officer and apprehending the perpetrators. The Command has assured that investigations are ongoing and that every effort is being made to secure the safe release of the abducted officer and ensure those responsible face justice. In a related development, an officer of the Osun State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, was also killed by suspected hoodlums at Papa Farm Area, in Iwo Local Government Area of the state. Confirming the killing in May, Yusuf Idowu, the spokesperson for the Corps, narrated how the incident happened to the News Agency of Nigeria. Idowu explained that officers of the Corps and members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) were responding to distress call by farmers in Papa Farm area that they were attacked.