Gunmen Launch Coordinated Attack in Oyo, Kill Police Officer and Kidnap Chinese Expat; Ondo APC Chieftain Also Seized

IBADAN — A police officer has been killed and a Chinese expatriate abducted following a coordinated gun attack on a construction company in Oyo State, as security agencies battle a fresh wave of kidnapping incidents across the South-West. The attack occurred at the premises of Aqua Triton Company in Ogunmakin, on the outskirts of Ibadan, where armed assailants reportedly stormed the facility in what authorities described as a commando-style operation. Confirming the incident on Saturday, the Oyo State Police Command said the attackers engaged security personnel stationed at the company before overpowering them. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said one police officer was fatally wounded while resisting the attack, while a Chinese national working with the company was forcefully taken away by the assailants. “One police officer paid the supreme price in the course of repelling the attackers, and a Chinese expatriate was abducted. Some of the suspects were also injured during the exchange,” Olayinka stated. He added that the Commissioner of Police immediately deployed the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, alongside the Anti-Kidnapping Squad and other tactical units, to the scene. According to him, a bush-combing operation and full investigation are currently underway to rescue the abducted expatriate and apprehend those responsible. APC Chieftain Abducted in Ondo In a related development, suspected gunmen have abducted an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ondo State, Prince Emorioloye Owoloemi, who also serves as Director-General of the Asiwaju Media Team. Sources told NaijaNewspaper that Owoloemi was kidnapped around 9 a.m. on Friday along the Okonga–Olodo Junction in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area. He was reportedly taken from his office by armed men who arrived in two Hilux vehicles. His whereabouts remained unknown as of the time of filing this report. Confirming the incident, the Ondo State Police Command spokesperson, Mr Jimoh Abayomi, said investigations had commenced, assuring residents that security agencies were intensifying efforts to track down the perpetrators and secure the victim’s release. Amotekun Arrests 32 Suspects Meanwhile, the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun, has announced the arrest of 32 suspected kidnappers and other criminal elements across the state. Parading the suspects, the agency’s commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed that 17 of those arrested were directly linked to kidnapping-related offences. He said arrests were made in several locations, including Oba Akoko, Ile Oluji, Ondo town, Akin Camp and the Odigbo axis, leading to the rescue of some victims. Adeleye dismissed reports suggesting that bandits had invaded Akure, the Ondo State capital, noting that while there has been an influx of unemployed youths into the state, security agencies are working collaboratively to prevent criminal activity. He reassured residents that Ondo State remains largely peaceful and that coordinated security efforts are yielding positive results, with crime rates gradually declining.