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Oyo State Government has deployed a security team to Ipapo/Iseyin axis of the state, following the abduction of four farmers by unknown gunmen in Okaka, Itesiwaju Local Government Area, on Saturday.
The gunmen, according to an eyewitness account, stormed a farm settlement midday on Saturday and scared passers-by and other people in the neighbourhood with sporadic shootings.
However, the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Hon Wasiu Olatubosun, in a statement on Sunday, appealed to the residents of the area to remain calm.
Olatubosun quoted the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Adeniyi Adebisi, to have revealed that a security team comprising police and the military has been dispatched to support the existing security architecture in the area.
He stated that though the ugly incident happened outside the state’s farm settlement, the Oyo State Government prioritises the protection of life and property of every resident of the state, farmers inclusive.
Olatubosun said the government “pledges to take every step to safely return those abducted to their loved ones.”
“The military team is expected to join the operation that is planned to not only rescue the victims but also ensure that appropriate actions are taken against the perpetrators.
“It is in pursuant of this that all security agencies in the state including the Nigerian Army have been mobilised to the area and are in hot pursuit of the criminals,” he said.
The commissioner assured thay the state government is collaborating with security agencies to rescue the abductees within shortest possible time and prevent reoccurrence of the sad event.