The kidnappers left her four-month old baby with the kid sisters. Days before the abduction of the nursing mother and the late student, one person, a pastor was also kidnapped - on the eve of Good Friday
Gbolahan Balogun
The place is a typical country-house defined by its domestic rural architecture. An expanse of cashew trees and natural foliage plants create interesting garden spaces and provide shade and colour to the lonely apartment
Adjoining the building at the rear was a large stockyard with series of pens. They held a number of animals, cows, goats and sheep. There was also a feedlot where some animals were seemed confined for fattening.
This is Mallam Jibril’s ‘little kingdom' in Oketu area, Ago Oja, a rural community in Asa Local Government of Kwara State.
Located opposite the Ago Oja Junior Secondary School, the place this morning when Midlandpost visited had a striking aloofness that was noticeable as soon as one caught sight of it. At the entrance, there was the fresh poop of nanny goats.
Except for a Fulani man, who said he was there that morning to mind the animals, the place had been deserted for more than a week when an unknown number of bandits struck on the family and ferried away the woman of the house, Mrs Kehinde Ikeanabi Jubril, a nursing mother. The kidnappers left her four-month old baby with the kid sisters.
A family source, who volunteered information said the bandits came around 1.am on Wednesday, 22nd April, looking for the husband, Jibril. They picked the wife when they couldn’t find him.
Jibril is said to be a cattle dealer and an official of a cooperative society in the town.
If the operation in the Jubril’s house was smooth and hassle-free, it was not so when the kidnappers descended on another victim, said to reside at Abiye area of the community. The victim, a student of Kwara State Polytechnic was said to have resisted his assailants though to no avail.
The Baale of the community, Mallam Daudu Salaudeen Arolu, while narrating the incident said the boy was seriously injured when he confronted the armed kidnappers who shot sporadically at the residence. He was eventually carried away to unknown destination.
“I saw so much blood when I visited”, he said.
"The boy later died in the hospital as a result of the injuries sustained in the attack.
“Imagine that the kidnappers collected N400,000 ransom before his release”
The Jibril’s family sources told this medium that the kidnappers have demanded the sum of N10m for the release of the abducted woman whose whereabouts was unknown on Thursday when this reporter and and another visited the town.
Speaking on the troubling trend, the Baale said the development is unfortunate and frightening.
According to him, days before the abduction of the nursing mother and the late student, one person, pastor was kidnapped on Good Friday eve, but was rescued later after payment of N2.8m out of the N3m ransom demanded.
Midlandpost had also recently reported the incident of Magaji Erubu, Dr Erubu, who was abducted by armed kidnappers at his farm in Ago-Oja and was later released after spending days in their captivity.
The community head said vigilant groups and policemen were mobilised to carry out the rescue operation after the release of the victim who was also injured while in captivity.
He also confirmed that a team of security personnel including soldiers also visited the town on Wednesday this week in connection with the incident.
The Baale said although security had been beefed up in the town in collaboration with vigilant groups, the state government urgently needs to come to the rescue of the people as their lives are no longer safe.
According to the community leader, there is no police post along the stretch of the road from Ogbondoroko, Ago-Oja, Laduba, until one gets to Afon town, the headquarters of Asa Local Government.
The community he said is prone to kidnapping business more than any other because of its topography. “There’s a long stretch of deep and thick forest that goes several kilometres from our backyard here. Only government can save the situation “, he said.
The Ilorin-Afon axis of Asa Local Government has recently assumed rural agglomeration through government policies on rural businesses and infrastructure.
Towns and villages along the route including Ogbondoroko, Afon, Laduba, Aboto, Ago Oja and many others, host clusters of agro and allied businesses with increase in their population.
Olam Agric is a major international food and agric-business company on the route.
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