Herdsmen kidnap Methodist priest, two others in Osun

Suspected Fulani herdsmen on Sunday evening kidnapped a Methodist Presbyter in Osun State, Very Rev. Kayode Akande, and two other church leaders along the Iwo-Osogbo Road.

One of the clerics in the church told Punch correspondent on telephone that Akande; one Mr. Bankole, who is an engineer and one of the leaders of the church, Mr, Omodunbi were forcefully taken away by the suspected Fulani herdsmen around 7pm.

He said the abducted persons were coming in company with others from a meeting held at Ile Ogbo when the criminals stopped their vehicles and took them away.

His words: “They were returning to Osogbo from Ile Ogbo when suspected Fulani herdsmen abducted them. They went for a meeting in respect of Father’s Day and they were on their way back to Osogbo when the incident happened.

”The criminals released others and the two cars in which they were traveling and took away the three of them. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Fimihan Adeoye, was contacted and he acted promptly.

”In fact, policemen have been deployed in the road immediately and they have been combing the bushes and I just pray they would get these people quickly. We are all praying to God so that these hoodlums would not harm these people.”

The Bishop of Methodist Church, Osogbo Diocese, Most Rev. Amos Ogunrinde, when contacted confirmed the incident.

He said, “Some suspected armed Fulani herdsmen abducted three of our people this evening. They were coming from Ile Ogbo and they were abducted at a town called Telemu

“I think these people are not genuine herders but criminals. I don’t think they are those herdsmen killing but they are armed robbers and that was why they didn’t kill them but took them away.

“They were eight coming together, the criminals took away three of them and released five of them. They are criminals. They have not got in touch with the families of the three persons. I just returned from the wife of one of the victims now and I was not told of anything like that.”