Osun Local Govt Vice Chairman, Debo Farounbi, Falls Victim to Gunmen Abduction

In a daring operation, armed men stormed the Ora community, which lies on the border between Osun and Kwara states, on the evening of Tuesday, June 9, 2026. The attack, which occurred around 10pm, resulted in the abduction of Mr Debo Farounbi, the Vice Chairman of the Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State. According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen fired shots into the air, causing widespread panic among residents before making off with their captives. However, the swift response of military personnel and local volunteers stationed in the town forced the attackers to release three of their four captives. A resident, who chose to remain anonymous due to security concerns, revealed to Punch that the gunmen had managed to escape into the bush with their victims. The resident stated, 'Four people, including two Fulani women and two men, among them the Ifedayo Local Government Vice Chairman, Debo Farounbi, were abducted. But the resistance put up by the military made the perpetrators to abandon three people.' The spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the abduction of one person, identifying him as Hon Debo Farounbi, the local government Vice Chairman. Ojelabi noted that a combined team of military and police personnel responded promptly to the incident and were working to rescue the abducted official. He clarified that the incident was being treated as an abduction until further evidence proved otherwise, saying, 'It is abduction until we are able to prove that it is a case of kidnapping.'