Fuel attendant rescued from suspected ritualists’ hideout in Ondo

By Boye Oyeyemi

A 26-year-old fuel attendant, Ogechi John, has been rescued from a building suspected to be a ritualists’ hideout in Owo, Ondo State, several days after she was allegedly abducted while attending to customers at a filling station.

The victim was reportedly kidnapped last Monday at Gozako Filling Station along the Emure-Akure Expressway by unidentified men who arrived in an ash-coloured Toyota Camry without registration plates. The incident sparked widespread concern and triggered an intensive search by security agencies.

Following the abduction, operatives of the police, Amotekun Corps, local hunters and vigilante groups launched a coordinated operation across Owo and surrounding communities to locate the missing attendant and apprehend those responsible.

Investigators recorded a major breakthrough when the vehicle allegedly used in the abduction was discovered abandoned in a bush at Ojana, Owo. The discovery provided a critical lead that helped security operatives narrow down their search.

The Ondo State Police Command later confirmed the rescue of the victim and the arrest of suspects linked to the incident. Authorities said investigations are ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction and the activities carried out at the building where she was found.

An Owo-based commentator, Jide Tububo, disclosed that the victim’s cries for help played a crucial role in her rescue. According to him, security operatives became suspicious of a man who identified himself as a vigilante member and decided to monitor his movements.

Tububo explained that the operatives followed the suspect to a building where they heard a woman crying and pleading for water. The development heightened their suspicions and prompted an immediate response from the security team.

“At about 1 a.m., the victim was crying for help and asking for water. The operatives immediately stormed the building and rescued her,” he said. Tububo added that charms and other suspected ritual objects were recovered from the premises, while the Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, commended the operatives for their swift action and urged residents to continue providing useful information to security agencies.