Five days after free the Orrire school pupils and teachers in Oyo State, gunmen have returned to the state and kidnapped a 60-year-old headmaster of Nomadic Basic School, Igbojaye, Budo Aare, in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State, Kolawale Mathew Owoade, popularly known as Onaiye.
The gunmen want N30m for his release.
Onaiye was reportedly taken away on Saturday evening, July 11, 2026, between 5pm and 6pm.
His son, Abiola Owoade, said “the incident happened when my father was returning from his farm at Budo Aare within this local government area.
“Shortly after the abduction, the kidnappers contacted the family using the victim’s mobile phone and demanded a ransom of N30 million for his release.
“However, at about 8:20 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, 2026, a search team recovered his motorcycle abandoned in the bush,” he said.
Abiola appealed to the “Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, hunters, vigilantes and other security agencies to intervene and rescue his father.”
The victim’s colleagues and members of the education community in the local government also expressed sadness over the incident.
The Oyo State Police spokesperson, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed the incident on Monday.
Ayanlade said “I can confirm to you that a farmer, Mathew Owoade, was kidnapped at his farm in Budo Aare, and efforts are on to rescue the man unharmed and arrest the perpetrators.”
