Gunmen are said to have stormed a hotel in Ajaawa, the headquarters of Ogo Oluwa Local Government Area in Oyo State, and kidnapped the hotelier, Mr Olukunle Oyedokun, his nursing wife, Juliana, the infant, five other close relatives, including his other children, and a hotel guest.
In the incident that occurred around 10.30 p.m. on Saturday, two other guests were able to flee the gunmen, according to our correspondent.
However, a top police officer who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said that while there was an incident at the hotel, the number of victims could
He claimed that family members provided conflicting information to the police. He stated that while some claimed seven people were kidnapped, others claimed only two people were kidnapped.
The gunmen were said to have started shooting to instill fear in the minds of their victims as soon as they entered the hotel on Lagbedu Road, behind CAC Primary School, and whisked their targets away.
It was learned that Oyedokun was preparing for a burial ceremony this weekend, and that other family members had arrived in town to begin the preparations.
The kidnappers were said to have already made calls to the victims’ families, demanding N15 million as a ransom to release their captives.
According to sources, the ransom has been reduced to N2.5 million, but family members are still scrambling to raise the funds.
Mr Adewale Osifeso, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, could not be reached by our correspondent and had yet to respond to the message sent at the time of filing this report.
Residents, on the other hand, reported that the police, Amotekun Corps, and hunters had begun combing the bushes in search of the kidnappers and their victims.
When contacted, the National President of Soludero Hunters, Nureni Ajijolaanobi, confirmed the incident to our correspondent.
He stated that members of the Soludero Hunters, police officers, and others were working to rescue the victims.
Ajijolaanobi also urged Governor Seyi Makinde to provide vehicles and other logistics to members of the Joint Security Task Force he established in order for them to be effective.
He claimed that since then, Soludero Hunters have been carrying out their operations with their own vehicles and personal funds.
