Gunmen Abduct Man, Demand N11 Million Ransom In Kwara Community

Ilorin, Kwara State– Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herders have kidnapped a man identified simply as Duku and shot another victim in Odo-Eku, a quiet community in Isin Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Elder Ogundeji, the Odofinof Odo-Eku, confirmed the incident in an interview with SaharaReporters on Thursday.

He revealed that the attack occurred during the early hours of Tuesday, when the assailants stormed the community, abducting five individuals.

According to Ogundeji, Duku—who hails from Niger State and belongs to the Dukawa ethnic group—was one of the victims forcefully taken by the armed men.

“They kidnapped one person on Tuesday night, after they invaded Odo-Eku,” he said. “They shot one person. It was around 1:30 a.m. that we rushed him to Adeyemo Hospital in Omu-Aran where he was treated for bullet wounds.”

The traditional chief disclosed that the kidnappers have reached out to Duku’s family members, demanding a ransom of N11 million for his release.

“The kidnappers have contacted the family members of the kidnap victim demanding for N11 million as ransom,” Elder Ogundeji said.

“They were pleading that they don’t have such amount. The man that they kidnapped—last time, it was four people that were kidnapped in his house. He sold his properties and cows to secure their freedom. Now they came and kidnapped him again.”

Ogundeji expressed concern over the condition of the victim, saying the abductors were brutalising him while he spoke to his family on the phone, begging for his life.

“They were beating him when he called his family members, begging them to find money and get him released, while the abductors were threatening to kill him if they failed to deliver the ransom,” he said.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Kwara State Police Command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, were unsuccessful as she neither responded to calls nor replied to messages sent via WhatsApp.