Gunmen on Monday evening attacked the Ora community along the Osun–Kwara boundary, abducting a retired Customs officer, Emmanuel Owolabi, and killing a village chief, sparking fear among residents.

Witnesses said the assailants struck shortly before 7 p.m., firing gunshots as they seized Owolabi in front of his residence on Akisa Road before escaping into the bush.

Owolabi’s wife, Titilayo, recounted that her husband had stopped by her shop earlier in the evening after she closed around 6:30 p.m. He later left for another part of the town, while she returned home to prepare dinner.

“I was about to serve my children when I heard a gunshot. At first, I thought it was hunters, but the shots became sporadic. Then I heard my husband’s voice outside our fence,” she said.

According to her, one of the gunmen jumped into their compound. “They were speaking Hausa, so I knelt and spoke Hausa to him, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he started beating me and demanding money. Those I saw were young boys,” she said.

She added that the attackers continued firing as her husband was forced onto a motorcycle and taken toward the bush. “The next thing I heard was the sound of a motorcycle conveying my husband away,” she said, appealing to security agencies and the public for help to secure his safe return.

Community sources said the fleeing gunmen also shot dead a village chief, identified simply as Dennis, who was returning from his farm.

Confirming the incident on Tuesday, the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said security operatives had intensified deployment in the area to track down the assailants.

“Immediately the incident happened, police operatives and other volunteers chased after the gunmen. We are working hard to rescue the victim,” Ojelabi said, adding that the village chief was killed on the Kwara State side of the boundary.