Gunmen have abducted the Vice Chairman of Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State, Mr. Debo Farounbi, after attacking Ora, a boundary community between Osun and Kwara states.
The incident occurred around 10pm on Tuesday when armed men stormed the community, firing shots into the air and causing panic among residents.
Farounbi was reportedly seized alongside three other persons during the attack, which eyewitnesses said was met with resistance from military personnel and local security volunteers stationed in the area.
According to residents, the intervention forced the attackers to abandon three of the abducted victims, but they escaped with the local government official.
“They shot sporadically before they went for their target. Four people, including two Fulani women and two men, among them the Ifedayo Local Government Vice Chairman, were abducted. But the resistance made them abandon three and went away with the vice chairman,” a resident said.
Another resident said the community remained in fear throughout the night following the attack.
Confirming the incident, the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said only the vice chairman was taken.
“One person was abducted. He is the local government Vice Chairman, Hon. Debo Farounbi. Immediately the incident happened, the military, police and others responded. Efforts are in place to rescue him,” he said.
Farounbi’s abduction marks the third major kidnapping incident in Ora community within the past seven months.
In December 2025, suspected bandits abducted a retired Customs officer, Emmanuel Owolabi, who was later released after about four weeks in captivity following payment of ransom.
Barely weeks later, two other residents were also kidnapped in a separate attack along the Kwara boundary and released weeks after.
Residents have continued to call for increased security presence in the area, warning that repeated attacks are forcing people to flee the community.
Community leaders say the attackers are exploiting the boundary route between Osun and Kwara states to carry out repeated invasions, raising fresh concerns over safety in the region.
