Osun LG vice chairman still held 22 days after abduction

Twenty-two days after he was abducted by gunmen in Ora, Osun State, the Vice Chairman of the Ifedayo Local Government Area of the state, Mr Debo Farounbi, is yet to regain freedom.

The PUNCH reports that Farounbi was abducted in Ora, a boundary community along the Osun/Kwara boundary, around 10 pm on Tuesday, June 9, by gunmen suspected to be bandits, alongside three other people.

But sources in the community said the military men and local volunteers stationed in the town put up a strong resistance, forcing the perpetrators to abandon three of those abducted and flee with Farounbi amid a heavy gunfight.

A close family source who preferred anonymity since he was not authorised to comment on the incident told The PUNCH on Tuesday that the abductors established contact with the family of the victim and demanded a sum of N200m for his release a few days after he was abducted.

Another family source, who does not want to be named in the print, however, said the abductors’ demand has been reduced to N50m after days of intense negotiation.

“It is true that they (abductors) demanded N200m. They used his mobile phone to call his family.

“But after days of negotiating, the amount has been reduced to N50m, but his family are still running around to raise the money.

“There was a day the abductors took pictures of him and sent them to his relatives to put pressure on them. There is growing concern over his state of health.

“But as of 7pm today (Tuesday), he has not been released. I don’t even think there are any search and rescue efforts again from the security agencies,” the family source said.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, stated that the command was still working towards a safe rescue of the victim.

He also said the command was unaware of any negotiation for ransom between the family of the victim and the perpetrators of the crime.

Ojelabi, who said that after the abduction, two people were arrested in the forest, added that two suspects had been arraigned and remanded in a correctional centre.

“We are still working within the information available to us to see to the safe rescue of the victim.

“Two people were arrested inside the forest after the abduction, and after our investigation, we charged them in court.

“The court has since remanded them to the correctional centre. We are working hard to rescue the victim,” Ojelabi said.(Punch)