A tipper driver, Mr Tobi Abdulmalik Oluwatuyi, has been abducted by gunmen at Ilu Abo, along the Akure–Owo expressway in Ondo State.
The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Friday, around 6 a.m., when the vehicle developed a mechanical fault.
While attempting to fix the problem, Mr Oluwatuyi was seized by the armed men, who suddenly emerged from a nearby bush and whisked him away to an unknown destination.
His assistant, popularly known as the motor boy, narrowly escaped the attack and immediately raised an alarm to alert residents of the area.
Confirming the incident, the owner of the vehicle, Mr Monday Ayesoro, said the matter had been reported to the relevant security agencies.
The Commander of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, also confirmed the abduction.
He disclosed that operatives of the Corps had launched a thorough search operation across the surrounding forest to rescue the victim.
“We are already combing the forest and have blocked the routes leading to Ise in Ekiti State to prevent the kidnappers from escaping,” Adeleye said. “We are on top of the situation and determined to secure the victim’s release.”