By: Ganiyu Olayinka
Unidentified gunmen have kidnapped the headmaster of Nomadic Basic School in Igbojaye, Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State, and are demanding a N30 million ransom for his release.
The victim, 60-year-old Matthew Kolawale Owoade, widely known in the community as “Onaiye,” was seized on Saturday evening as he returned from his farm in the Budo Aare area of the local government.
His son, Abiola Owoade, said his father had gone to check on his farm and was heading home between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. when armed men waylaid him and took him away to an undisclosed location.
According to Abiola, the kidnappers later reached the family using the victim’s mobile phone and demanded N30 million as a condition for his release.
Alarmed by his failure to return home, relatives launched a search that led to the discovery of his abandoned motorcycle in a nearby bush at about 8:20 a.m. on Sunday. There was no sign of the headmaster himself.
News of the abduction has unsettled the Igbojaye community and cast a pall over the local education sector, with relatives, colleagues, and residents voicing deep concern for his safety.
The family has appealed to the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other security agencies to step up efforts to secure his safe release and apprehend those responsible. They have also urged members of the public with useful information to come forward to aid the investigation.
Confirming the incident, the Oyo State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said a rescue operation was underway.
“I can confirm to you that a farmer, Mr Owoade Mathew, was kidnapped at his farm in Budo Aare, and efforts are on to rescue the man unhurt and arrest the perpetrator,” Ayanlade said.
As of the time of filing, the police had not disclosed whether any arrests had been made, but reiterated that efforts to rescue the victim and bring the perpetrators to justice were continuing.
Tags: #DSS #NSCDC #OyoStatePoliceCommand