Contradictory accounts have surfaced over the status of abducted residents of Igboho in Oorelope Local Government Area of Oyo State, as local authorities and the police insist that the victims are yet to regain their freedom despite widespread celebrations in the community.
The confusion followed the circulation of a viral video showing residents singing, dancing and celebrating alongside Yoruba self-determination campaigner, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
The celebrations were widely interpreted as confirmation that a woman, her children and another family member who had been abducted by gunmen had been released after Igboho reportedly issued a two-hour ultimatum demanding their freedom.
However, officials have maintained that the reports are inaccurate.
Reacting to the claims, Oorelope Local Government Chairman, Jacob Ogundiran, said there was no truth to reports suggesting that the captives had been freed.
“The attention of the Oorelope Local Government Area leadership has been drawn to circulating rumours and unverified reports claiming the release of the kidnapping victims.
“We state authoritatively that these reports are false and misleading. The victims are still in captivity, and we urge the public to discountenance any information to the contrary unless it comes from credible sources,” the statement read.
Read also: Sunday Igboho threatens Fulani community, warns DPO over kidnappings
Ogundiran assured residents that security operatives were continuing efforts to secure the release of the abducted family, while appreciating community members and local stakeholders for assisting with intelligence gathering and other support.
According to him, safeguarding lives and property remains a central responsibility of the local administration.
The Oyo State Police Command also rejected suggestions that the victims had been rescued or that Igboho was responsible for securing their release.
Speaking on the matter, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said security agencies were still actively working to free the hostages.
“Whatever the activist is doing, if the said victims are still in captivity, I don’t know. Efforts are ongoing to rescue them.
“Meanwhile, the victims were not even kidnapped in Igboho. They were kidnapped at Igbope,” he told our correspondent in a phone call.
The victims were abducted during a late-night attack on their residence, when armed men reportedly invaded the area and whisked away members of a family.
Sources familiar with the incident said the kidnappers initially demanded a ransom of N300 million before reportedly reducing the amount to N150 million during negotiations.
The incident heightened tensions in the community and drew the attention of Sunday Igboho, who subsequently summoned suspected Fulani leaders and community representatives over recurring allegations of kidnapping and insecurity in the area.
In a video that later gained traction online, the activist was seen addressing traditional rulers and local stakeholders, expressing outrage over incidents of abduction and killings allegedly linked to criminal elements operating in the region.
Referring to a previous kidnapping case, he accused the perpetrators of killing an individual who delivered ransom money while sparing only one victim.
“The person who brought the ransom, you still killed him and spared only one person,” he said, while warning that such incidents must not repeat.
Igboho also demanded the immediate release of the abducted family and issued a deadline for compliance, noting that he had exercised restraint out of respect for traditional rulers who had appealed for calm.
“I am Sunday Igboho. I am calm because my fathers asked me to be calm with you. Let this be the last time such a thing will happen,” he said.
The activist further threatened to take direct action against locations he believed were being used to harbour kidnappers if the victims were not released within the stipulated period.
Following his remarks, videos emerged showing jubilant scenes in parts of the community, leading many to believe that the abducted family had regained their freedom.
But with both the local government and the police now insisting that the victims remain in captivity, uncertainty continues to surround their whereabouts as rescue efforts intensify.
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