Police begin search for abducted Oyo farmer

The Oyo State Police Command has launched an investigation into the abduction of a farmer, Matthew Owoade, who was kidnapped by gunmen at 9:50 a.m. on Sunday.
In a statement on Monday, the command’s spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, said the police have launched a rescue operation to apprehend those responsible for the crime.
“A distress report was received from the officer-in-charge of Igbojaye Police Outpost that the victim, a resident of Igbojaye community, had gone to his farm along the Igbojaye–Budo Aare Farm Road at about 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, 11 July 2026, but failed to return home,” he said.
He said a search party organised by the victim’s family later recovered his Bajaj motorcycle at the farm in the early hours of Sunday.
“The victim’s mobile phone was used to contact his family, during which the caller informed them that he had been abducted, prompting the report to the police,” he said.
Mr Olayinka said the victim was abducted on his farm and not within the premises of any school.
He urged members of the public to disregard misleading reports and rely only on information disseminated through official channels of the Oyo State Police Command.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Economy
Trans-Saharan superhighway will boost security, commerce across states: Umahi
“If we complete this project, you will see significant improvements in security, agriculture, and commerce,” he said.

States
Bauchi police arrest 70-year-old man over alleged child defilement
Police in Bauchi State arrested a 70-year-old man for defiling a minor.

Politics
APM, PDP members dump parties for Oyo APC
The wave of defections, which began in Ward 9, was led by the top leaders of both opposition parties.

Africa
Armed Conflicts: Nigeria urges AU to fund own peace efforts, reduce reliance on external assistance
The minister warned that uncertain funding could undermine the effectiveness of African peace operations and weaken the continent’s ability to address conflicts independently.

Politics
Lagos APM governorship candidate urges accountability in public finance
Mr Adeoye said budgets should be based on citizens’ actual needs and developed through meaningful engagement with relevant stakeholders.

Politics
Gov Abiodun’s successor must be thoroughly examined, says Ogun monarch
He said the scrutiny must go beyond political affiliation, ethnicity and zoning to cover the candidates’ competence, track records and family backgrounds.






