Gunmen on Wednesday night invaded Ilara, a town in the Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, killing two people and abducting a popular businessman identified as Ade Bendel.
The incident, which occurred around 11pm, threw the quiet border community into panic as the assailants reportedly shot sporadically during the attack.
Confirming the incident on Thursday, the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Mutiu Adedimeji, said the kidnappers fled through a bush path into the Republic of Benin, abandoning the victim’s vehicle at Sabe, a neighbouring town across the border.
“Yes, the incident happened. They abducted Ade Bendel yesterday (Wednesday) night and killed two people in the attack,” the monarch told The PUNCH. “Some people were able to locate his vehicle at Sabe in Benin Republic, which means that was the route they took to escape.”
A youth leader in the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the gunmen had trailed the businessman to his hotel before opening fire indiscriminately.
“They began shooting sporadically in the hotel and two people were reportedly killed because they were hit by stray bullets. A female employee at the man’s hotel was among those killed in the incident,” he said.
Another resident, identified simply as Ade, said the gunshots caused chaos in the town as people scampered for safety. He added that two women sustained injuries after falling into a ditch while trying to escape.
“We were hearing gunshots which caused people to panic. Two ladies sustained injuries after they fell into a ditch while trying to escape,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, said she was still gathering details on the incident.
However, a police officer in the area confirmed the attack but declined to speak on the number of casualties.
“The incident happened but I cannot say the number of casualties involved or give details of the incident,” the officer said.
The Ogun State Police Command has yet to release an official statement on the incident.
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