Suspected gunmen have abducted the headmaster of Nomadic Basic School, Igbojaye, in Budo Aare, Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State, 60-year-old Kolawale Mathew Owoade, popularly known as Onaiye, and are demanding N30 million for his release.
The abduction took place on Saturday evening, July 11, 2026, between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
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Speaking on the incident, the victim’s son, Abiola Owoade, said his father was seized while returning home from his farm in Budo Aare.
He explained that the abductors later reached out to the family through the victim’s mobile phone and demanded a ransom of N30 million before they would release him.
Abiola added that at about 8:20 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, members of a search party discovered his father’s motorcycle abandoned in a nearby bush.
He appealed to the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun), local hunters, vigilantes and other security agencies to intensify efforts to secure his father’s safe return.
The incident has also drawn sympathy from the victim’s colleagues and members of the education community within Itesiwaju Local Government Area.
Confirming the abduction on Monday, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, said the victim was kidnapped while working on his farm in Budo Aare.
He noted that security operatives have launched efforts to rescue the victim unharmed and bring those responsible for the crime to justice.
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