The Osun State Police Command has gone after bandit informants in Ora Igbomina community, Ifedayo Local Government Area of the state, OSUN DEFENDER reliably gathered.
An impeccable police source told OSUN DEFENDER that the command had been informed about some suspected bandit informants in the area and it is working to properly identify and arrest them.
OSUN DEFENDER gathered that a Fulani herder, identified as Bayo, was one of those suspected as informants and has been sent away from the community.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that kidnapping cases are on the rise in Ora Igbomina, a community on the Osun-Kwara boundary with at least three persons abducted in less than two months.
The first incident happened on December 15, 2025, when gunmen attacked the community and abducted a retired Customs officer, Emmanuel Owolabi.
The victim’s wife, Titilayo, stated that the incident occurred in front of Owolabi’s house on Akisa Road, Ora, a few minutes before 7 p.m.
Titilayo, while narrating the incident, said her husband had visited her shop shortly after she closed for the day.
“While he headed to another location in the town, I returned home to prepare dinner,” the wife said.
She added that after finishing the meal and while waiting for her husband, she heard gunshots at the entrance to their compound.
“When I got home, I cooked and was about to serve my children their food when I heard a gunshot. I initially thought the shots were from hunters who sometimes come around, but the gunshots became sporadic. Later, I heard my husband’s voice outside our fence.
“I didn’t know he was being held by bandits. I went out to check what was happening. One of the gunmen jumped over the fence into our compound. Those I saw were young boys. I knelt down and spoke Hausa to him because they were speaking Hausa. Instead of responding, he started beating me.
“He asked me for money. While all these was going on, they were firing shots. The next thing I heard was the sound of a motorcycle conveying my husband towards the bush.”
Owolabi was however, released on January 13, in Oro Ago, a community in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State after the payment of ransom.
A source in the community told OSUN DEFENDER that some people in the town knew the kidnappers had informants the day Owolabi was kidnapped.
“Yes, the day Mr Owolabi was kidnapped, we knew there were informants because as soon as we heard of the incident, the youths went to block the obvious routes the kidnappers would pass but surprisingly, they didn’t take those routes. They took the route that only insiders knew about,” the source said.
He added that Owolabi after his release, confirmed their suspicions and informed stakeholders in the town that the bandits knew about his movements and had informants in the area.
“After his release, Mr Owolabi told us that the gunmen who abducted him had information and knew what was going on. He said they keep telling him the moves the community members were making to get him released.
“He also said the bandits knew the day one of the most influential pastors in Nigeria came to Oke Ila. He told us that the bandits thought the helicopter that brought the clergyman belonged to security operatives who wanted to rescue him,” the source stated.
Two weeks after Owolabi’s release, the bandits on February 1, again, abducted two other residents of the town – Tayese Adeyeye and Sunday Adewumi.
The victims were reportedly seized by the assailants during an attack on a private residence along Aran-Orin Road in the Papa area.
Following the abduction, the kidnappers reached out to the victim’s family and demanded N100 million to release them.
The victims have not been released as of the time of this report.
The growing cases of abduction have heightened anxiety in the community, with residents calling for increased security presence.
However, the police source, told OSUN DEFENDER that operatives of the command were working not only to arrest the bandit informants but to apprehend the kidnappers, rescue the victims and ensure the community is safe from future invasion.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, the police source said, “The command is aware of the presence of some bandit informants and we are working to identify and arrest them. The command under Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan will not rest until the informants are fished out.
“Apart from this, a serious search and rescue mission is going on to ensure the safe return of the two people abducted and the arrest of the perpetrators.
“Osun is one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria and the Police Command is working to ensure that remains the same. We want Ora and other communities in the state to be safe from any internal or external invasion or attack,” the source emphasised.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
