Local hunters in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State have raised alarm over alleged threats by suspected bandits to kidnap schoolchildren in several communities within the area.
The hunters said the development comes barely two weeks after a petrol station manager was abducted in the council area and later released after a ransom was reportedly paid.
Speaking on a radio programme in Abeokuta, the Chairman of the Hunters’ Association in Odeda Local Government, Festus Ogundairo, described the security situation in the area as troubling.
According to him, the abducted filling station manager was kidnapped around 7 p.m. near a secondary school within the local government area before regaining freedom after ransom payment.
Ogundairo further disclosed that residents had become increasingly worried following reports circulating on social media alleging that armed bandits were planning attacks on schools in the area.
He claimed the threats specifically mentioned some towns and villages in Odeda Local Government Area as potential targets.
The hunters’ leader, however, noted that security personnel had already begun efforts to prevent any possible attack on schools and communities.
He appealed to the Ogun State Government and security agencies to support local hunters with logistics, motorcycles and approved weapons to strengthen security operations in forests and remote areas.
Ogundairo stressed that local hunters possess better knowledge of the terrain and should be allowed to work closely with security agencies in tackling kidnappings and banditry in rural communities.
As of the time of filing the report, security authorities had yet to issue an official statement regarding the alleged threats against schools in the affected communities.
