By Christopher Oji
Barely 24-hours after the abducted secretary of Isheri North Landlord Association Mr Dayo Adegoke, regained freedom, two members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and five farm workers at Eliasa Farm were yesterday kidnapped in Igbodu area of Epe, Lagos.
It was gathered that gunmen, numbering about 15 and dressed in military camouflage, stormed the farm, situated along Ishiwo Road around 7am and abducted the OPC men, who work as security guard and farm workers.
Investigation revealed that the two OPC men were employed by the farm owner to provide security at the farm when kidnapping in the community was on the increase in the area.
Sources revealed that the gunmen took away the seven victims through the forest into the creek.
At the time of filing this report, the kidnappers have not contacted the farm management.
A source, who spoke on phone, said two weeks ago, gunmen also invaded the community and abducted six farmers and one man, who came to buy farm produce.
He said: “Lagos State government and security agencies should focus more attention on the area because of the increase in kidnapping in that part of the state.”
The kidnappers also stormed the community on January 27 and abducted a 24-year-old Olabiyi Ifeoluwa, a graduate of Nutrients and Biotechnology from Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho in Oyo State and three other farm workers identified as Busuyi, Kposu, a Togolese national and one John. The four kidnapped victims were workers at Tanda Farm. Ifeoluwa was employed at the farm two weeks before the incident. N2 million ransom and two cartons of red label gin were eventually paid as ransom for their release.
The negotiator, Ayodeji, dropped the ransom at a designated point, as directed by the abductors, it was gathered.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the kidnap of the two OPC members and five farm workers.
She said: “It is true, seven people were kidnapped at Igbodu area and we are working assiduously to rescue them.”
She said the command had commenced investigation.
State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, told Daily Sun that the picture was not clear yet on the reported kidnap.
According to him, “we received a distress call that some farmers were kidnapped, but when the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and his men visited the scene, they discovered there was no such incident. But after sometime, I heard some farmers off-loading chicken were kidnapped. We are still investigating the matter to get a clearer picture.”
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