Gunmen Kidnap Pregnant Woman in Ondo as Police Launch Rescue Operation -

Suspected gunmen on Tuesday night abducted a pregnant woman in Ayedele community, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The victim, identified as Mary Jesulayomi, was reportedly seized around 7:40 p.m. alongside a 90-year-old man, Pa Ogunleye Mese, and his wife, Mrs. Mese, a few metres from the Federal Secretariat in Igbatoro, on the outskirts of Akure.

The assailants, said to be about four in number, later released the elderly couple close to the scene, while the pregnant woman was taken away.

In a video interview obtained in Akure, Pa Mese said the gunmen fired shots into the air to disperse people before attacking them. He disclosed that he was beaten and sustained injuries during the incident.

“They suddenly arrived and started shooting to scare people. They dragged my wife, the pregnant woman and me toward the bush. I managed to escape while we were being taken,” he said.

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Mrs. Mese, who also spoke in the footage, said she collapsed while being led into the bush, forcing the gunmen to abandon her.

“I couldn’t continue after I fell. They left me and took the pregnant woman away. By the time the police arrived, she was already gone,” she said.

Confirming the incident, the Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said tactical teams had been deployed to the area to rescue the victim and track down the attackers.

The abduction comes barely a week after gunmen kidnapped seven people in Eleyewo community, also in Akure North, where police later rescued two of the victims.