By Kehinde Akinpelu, Ilorin
A newlywed couple, identified as Funmilayo Bamidele and her husband, Reverend Abiodun David, have been abducted alongside four other persons by suspected bandits along the Iyemero-Eruku Road, a border route linking communities in Kwara and Kogi states.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening as the victims were returning from an engagement ceremony in Eruku, Kwara State.
Sources said the vehicle conveying the group was initially expected to use the Isanlu Road, but the driver reportedly opted for a back route to enable him to drop off the Best Man and other members of the group at Iyamoye in Kogi State.
It was while travelling along the Iyemero-Eruku axis that the vehicle was reportedly intercepted by armed men, who abducted the newlywed couple and four other occupants.
A photograph of the abducted couple has since emerged as efforts intensify to locate them and secure their release.
Confirming the incident, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said security operatives had launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to locate the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
Ojo disclosed that soldiers had already entered the surrounding bush areas in search of the abductors and their victims.
He further revealed that the vehicle used by the victims was later found parked at an abandoned police station in Ayetoro, Ekiti State.
According to him, the security response involves police formations and other security agencies across Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti states, given the location of the incident along the three-state border axis.
The Commissioner assured that security operatives were working jointly to rescue the victims and bring those responsible for the abduction to justice.
The whereabouts of the other four abducted persons remained unclear as of the time of filing this report, while details of the ongoing rescue operation were still being awaited.
