Suspected gunmen on Tuesday abducted a council official and another resident during an attack on a poultry farm near the Akure Airport area of Ondo State, triggering panic in surrounding communities and forcing several schools to shut down abruptly.

The victims were identified as the Secretary of Okeluju Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Akoko North West, Joseph Aladesuyi, and another resident, Easter Akinlolu. The attack occurred at a poultry farm along Kajola Road in Ilu-Abo community, Akure North Local Government Area.

Residents said the assailants stormed the area at about 9:00 a.m., firing sporadically into the air and causing widespread panic among farmers, workers and residents in nearby communities.

Eyewitnesses said Aladesuyi, who also manages Jotina Farms, had just arrived at the farm with his daughter when about ten gunmen ambushed them. During the attack, he reportedly struggled with the assailants and sustained a gunshot wound to the hand before being forced into the kidnappers’ vehicle.

“They shot into the air when they arrived and dragged him away despite his resistance. They left his daughter behind but told her clearly they were taking her father,” a local resident said, adding that the gunmen fled to an unknown destination.

The gunshots reportedly sparked fear across nearby communities, particularly around the airport axis, prompting anxious parents to rush to schools to pick up their children amid rumours of kidnappers operating in the area.

A parent who spoke with journalists said the sound of gunfire spread fear quickly. “We heard gunshots near the airport area and people started calling that kidnappers were around. Parents became afraid and rushed to withdraw their children from school,” she said.

The incident has heightened anxiety among residents, many of whom say kidnapping cases have become increasingly frequent in the area.

A community leader, Chief Albert Adeyemi, lamented what he described as a growing security crisis, saying the latest abduction reflects a troubling pattern of attacks.

“This is no longer an isolated case. Almost every week someone is abducted in this community. People are living in fear and many families are relocating because of insecurity,” he said.

Confirming the incident, the Ondo State Police Command said armed men invaded the poultry farm and abducted two persons after firing gunshots into the air.

Police spokesperson DSP Jimoh Abayomi said tactical teams and detectives had been deployed to the area to begin search and rescue operations while security patrols had been intensified.

According to him, the Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, has directed that all available operational and intelligence resources be mobilised to ensure the safe rescue of the victims and the arrest of the perpetrators.

He added that security operatives, including non-conventional security outfits, are currently combing nearby forests and surrounding communities in an effort to track down the kidnappers.

The police urged residents to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information, assuring the public that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the victims and restore normalcy in the affected communities.