Akure, Ondo State — Tension gripped Ilu-Abo, an agrarian community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Tuesday night after gunmen abducted a primary school proprietress, Mrs. Oladeinde Tomilola, and shot three other residents during a violent attack.
Sources said the assailants stormed Mrs. Tomilola’s residence on Liberty Avenue in the Ilu-Abo area at about 8:00 p.m., firing sporadically and shooting at her vehicle before whisking her away to an unknown destination.
Vanguard gathered that the attackers had earlier ambushed their main target, a businessman identified as John Ofuduwa, shooting him in the head as he drove into his residence in a Toyota Camry with Abuja registration number GWA 674 CM.
It was learned that after shooting the businessman and failing to abduct him, the gunmen turned on Mrs. Tomilola, who was about to enter her compound nearby, and abducted her instead.
In the same incident, two other victims—Victoria and her 11-year-old daughter, Victoria Olorunfemi—who were passing through the area, sustained varying degrees of injuries from gunshots.
Following the attack, angry residents took to the streets in protest, barricading the Akure–Owo highway and bringing vehicular movement to a standstill. Commercial drivers, commuters, and motorists were stranded for several hours.
A community resident, Ayodele Salako, said the protest was meant to draw attention to the worsening insecurity and frequent abductions in the area.
“We can no longer sleep with our two eyes closed. Kidnappers are now operating freely in our community. We want the government to act immediately before more lives are lost,” Salako said.
The protesters called on the Ondo State Government and security agencies to establish a permanent military checkpoint in the community, insisting that only a strong and visible security presence could deter criminal activities and restore confidence among residents.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the 32 Brigade Artillery of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Justin Ifeanyi, alongside the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, visited the community for an on-the-spot assessment.
In a statement, the police spokesperson, Jimoh Abayomi, said the security chiefs toured the area to engage residents and evaluate the situation, condemning the attack and assuring the public that security measures had been reinforced.
Abayomi said additional tactical and intelligence-driven operations had been deployed to ensure the swift rescue of the abducted victim and the arrest of those responsible.
The Commissioner of Police also paid a visit to the palace of the traditional ruler of the community, Oba Samuel Falae, the Oluabo of Ilu-Abo and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Oba Falae condemned the attack and pledged the palace’s full cooperation with security agencies, assuring that community vigilante groups would be mobilised to complement ongoing efforts.
Lawal assured residents that security agencies—including the Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services (DSS)—were working closely to rescue the abducted victim and bring the perpetrators to justice.
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