Twenty-two days after he was abducted by gunmen in Ora, Osun State, the Vice Chairman of the Ifedayo Local Government Area of the state, Mr Debo Farounbi, is yet to regain freedom.
The PUNCH reports that Farounbi was abducted in Ora, a boundary community along the Osun/Kwara boundary, around 10 pm on Tuesday, June 9, by gunmen suspected to be bandits, alongside three other people.
But sources in the community said the military men and local volunteers stationed in the town put up a strong resistance, forcing the perpetrators to abandon three of those abducted and flee with Farounbi amid a heavy gunfight.
A close family source who preferred anonymity since he was not authorised to comment on the incident told The PUNCH on Tuesday that the abductors established contact with the family of the victim and demanded a sum of N200m for his release a few days after he was abducted.
Another family source, who does not want to be named in the print, however, said the abductors’ demand has been reduced to N50m after days of intense negotiation.
