Suspected herdsmen have kidnapped a Methodist Presbyter, Very Rev. Kayode Akande in Osun State.
Akande and two others were commuting on the Iwo-Osogbo Road on Sunday around 7pm when they were kidnapped in a town called Telemu.
The other two victims were identified as one Mr. Bankole, who is an engineer, and one of the leaders of the church, Mr, Omodunbi.
While eight persons were said to be in the vehicle, only the three were kidnapped while the assailants released the other five.
The Punch quoted a cleric in the church as saying, “They were returning to Osogbo from Ile Ogbo when suspected Fulani herdsmen abducted them. They went for a meeting in respect of Father’s Day and they were on their way back to Osogbo when the incident happened.
“The criminals released others and the two cars in which they were traveling and took away the three of them. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, was contacted and he acted promptly.
“In fact, policemen have been deployed in the road immediately and they have been combing the bushes and I just pray they would get these people quickly. We are all praying to God so that these hoodlums would not harm these people.”
Corroborating the story, the Bishop of Methodist Church, Osogbo Diocese, Most Rev. Amos Ogunrinde, said, “Some suspected armed Fulani herdsmen abducted three of our people this evening. They were coming from Ile Ogbo and they were abducted at a town called Telemu.
“I think these people are not genuine herders but criminals. I don’t think they are those herdsmen killing but they are armed robbers and that was why they didn’t kill them but took them away.
“They were eight coming together, the criminals took away three of them and released five of them. They are criminals. They have not got in touch with the families of the three persons. I just returned from the wife of one of the victims now and I was not told of anything like that.”