There was tension at Asolo Camp in Uso community in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State as gunmen reportedly kidnapped a Muslim cleric, Alhaji Ibrahim Oyinlade.
NIGERIACRIME gathered that the incident happened on Saturday while the cleric was working on his farm.
According to a family source, who spoke anonymously, the gunmen are yet to demand ransome even after contacting Oyinlade’s family.
“They contacted the family shortly after they kidnapped him, informing the family that he was with them but they didn’t demand ransom yet,” the source stated.
The matter has been reported at the Uso Police Division, the source added.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said men of the command and the vigilante men were already in the bush in search of the victim.
She said, “At about 6pm today (Saturday), a report was made at Uso Divisional headquarters, that the Chief Iman of USO went to his farm in the morning and did not return, he was later traced to the farm by his people, they saw his phone and his vehicle intact but couldn’t find the man, the DPO and his men with local vigilantes are currently in the bush to trace the whereabouts of the man.”
Meanwhile, terrorists attacked the Ungwan Maaji community in the New Millenium City suburb of Kaduna on Friday night, killed one person and abducted six others.
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A resident in the area, Jonathan James, said the terrorists arrived in the area around 9:10 pm and targeted a house close to Chaha Eye Hospital, where they abducted a housewife and her house help.
The bandits also attacked another house on the same street, kidnapping four more persons.
An eyewitness revealed that two other people who were outside their house were also abducted, but they managed to escape while being taken away through a stream at the back of the community.
The Imam of the community, who escaped miraculously, said he had not returned home after leading the Isha’i prayer, typically performed around 8:00 pm, when the kidnappers arrived.
“I was taken in front of the Mosque, and then they broke into two other houses and took six people. While they were breaking into the second house, myself, another neighbour, and the woman with her house help kidnapped from the first house were asked to lie down on the bare floor over there,” the Imam explained.
“After the bandits broke into the second house and took four people, there were eight of us, and then they started leading us out of the community. When we reached the stream at the far end of the community, the two of us who were taken outside managed to escape while they were attempting to make us cross the stream.”
He said the bandits were young boys adding that the oldest among them should not be more than 20 years old.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mohammed Jalige, did not pick his phone nor respond to a text message sent to him.