Oba Yushau Goriola Oseni

Kazeem Ugbodaga

Gunmen have abducted a first class traditional ruler in Lagos, Oba Yushau Goriola Oseni, the Oniba of Ibaland, killed his guard and shot his wife.

The gunmen, suspected to be from Niger Delta stormed the monarch’s palace at Iba area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria around 11:30pm on Saturday and forcefully took the monarch away and escaped through the waterways.

Palace sources said the gunmen killed Oseni’s guard, a Neighbourhood Watch officer and then shot his wife before escaping with the monarch.

All attempts to locate the monarch proved abortive.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmus said she was not aware of the kidnap, but that she would confirm and get back to our reporter.

Last week, ex-Lagos State Commissioner for Rural Development, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi had lamented the state of insecurity in Ojo and Badagry area of Lagos and called the attention of the Lagos State Government and the police to swing into action.

Ojelabi, who spoke during a Town Hall meeting in Badagry told Governor Akinwunmi Ambode that his four-year old grandson was kidnapped since January 20, 2016 and that the police had not done anything about the kidnap.

He said insecurity in Ojo and Badagry areas of the state had been frightening as kidnappers were on the prowl.

The former commissioner stated that just recently, three children were kidnapped in Ojo and that the police had not been able to do anything about the kidnap.

He added that when he got to the police station in Ojo where the complaint of the kidnapped three children was lodged, about 35 other people besieged the police station to complain that their children were also kidnapped.

The former commissioner, who was pained, begged that urgent attention should be given to security threat in Ojo and Badagry axis.