Ibadan – Gunmen have kidnapped one person in Ibadan, the Oyo State, South-West Nigeria, a local news outlet reported, citing police.
The victim, identified only as Akika was reportedly abducted on Wednesday evening when the gunmen stormed his residence located at Olorunda Aba in Lagelu Local Government Area of the state.
The whereabouts of Akika have not been revealed as of the time of this report, first published on Thursday by Daily Post news agency.
The spokesman for the state police command, Adewale Osifeso, when contacted, confirmed the abduction.
“Investigation has commenced into the matter. Updates will be provided accordingly, please,” Osifeso told Daily Post.
– Insecurity and violence in Nigeria –
For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups.
Since the start of 2024 civilians have faced intensified violence across Nigeria, and near-daily attacks by armed groups resulting in kidnappings and other abuses against civilians.
Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.