By Desire Emmanuel
There was panic on Wednesday, March 18, at the Idi Ayunre area of Ibadan, Oyo State, when gunmen invaded the premises of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) and abducted an unspecified number of farmers.
The institute is located along the Ibadan-Ijebu Ode road.
The gunmen were said to have arrived the premises of one of the foremost research institutes in Nigeria around 12:30 p.m. and took away some representatives of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria, Ogun State chapter, who were at the nursery site of the institute to submit their annual collections of cocoa seedlings for this year’s planting season.
However, according to an eyewitness, following the incident, a distress call was made to security agencies and a combined security team comprising the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), local vigilante groups and Amotekun Corps swiftly mobilised to the scene and gave the gunmen a hot chase.
This chase paid off as the security team rescued two male victims while others were taken away. Also, in the course of the operation, three of the gunmen were arrested and are currently in police custody.
The state police command, while confirming the incident in a statement on Wednesday, disclosed that efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining victims, as security operatives have commenced aggressive bush combing operations and sustained pursuit of the gunmen.
