Terrorists abduct OPC chieftain, two others during ransom mission in Kwara

By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin

Unknown terrorists have abducted a chieftain of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Comrade Bayo Fabiyi, and two other persons in Oko-Irese, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

Sources said the trio were abducted while on a mission to deliver ransom and other items demanded by the kidnappers for the release of an earlier victim who was reportedly being held captive in the area.

It was gathered that the abductors had demanded N30 million, five motorcycles and three bags of rice as conditions for releasing the victim, who was said to be a brother of a prominent politician in the state.

However, an aide to the OPC chieftain told journalists that unknown to Fabiyi and his team, the victim had allegedly been killed before they arrived to deliver the ransom and other items.

According to the source, the group reportedly took the items to a remote hill deep inside the forest in Oko-Irese, along a route leading to neighbouring Kogi State, where they were ambushed and abducted at gunpoint.

Further findings revealed that Fabiyi had allegedly sought spiritual guidance from an OPC member in Ilorin before embarking on the trip. The source claimed the woman warned him against undertaking the mission after reportedly seeing him in captivity during a spiritual consultation.

“I was surprised that our boss still went on that trip. We did not even know he had gone until we heard about the abduction,” the aide said.

When contacted, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said the police had not received any report of the incident. “Nobody informed the police of any kidnap incident involving any OPC member, so we were not aware that anyone went to deliver ransom items to terrorists,” he said.