Fear has once again gripped residents of Ilu Abo, near the Akure Airport, following the abduction of a tipper driver, Tobi Abdulmalik Oluwatuyi, by suspected gunmen along the Akure/Owo Expressway in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The incident occurred around 6 a.m. on Friday when the truck reportedly developed a fault by the roadside. While the driver was trying to fix it, armed men suddenly emerged from the bush and whisked him away, while his assistant, popularly called the motor boy, narrowly escaped and raised the alarm.
The owner of the tipper, Monday Ayesoro, confirmed the abduction, noting that the case had been reported to relevant security agencies.
He expressed concern over the renewed wave of kidnapping around the Akure Airport axis, which had enjoyed relative calm in recent months after a series of security operations had earlier curtailed similar incidents.
Reacting to the development, the Commander of the Ondo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun Corps), Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, said his men had begun an intensive bush-combing operation to rescue the victim.
According to him, We are combing the forest and have blocked routes leading to Ise in Ekiti State to prevent the kidnappers from escaping.
We are on top of the situation and determined to secure the victim’s release.
