Gunmen on Tuesday evening abducted a former member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Moruf Musa, inside a mosque in Ibiade, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of the state.
Musa, who represented Ogun Waterside constituency and served as Majority Leader between 2007 and 2011, was taken at about 7pm while observing evening Muslim prayers in a mosque located within his compound.
The Chairman of Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, Ganiyu Odunoiki, confirmed the incident on Wednesday, saying the abduction happened during prayers and caused panic in the area.
“The report is true, the former lawmaker was abducted on Tuesday evening. The gunmen also reportedly shot some people on the road,” Odunoiki said.
He added that security agencies had begun a search operation around the community.
“We are now combing the surrounding bushes together with some police officers, though we are still expecting the anti-kidnapping unit, who are already on their way to join us in the search. The Area Commander for the Nigeria Police from Ogbere is here as well,” he said.
The Ogun State Police Command also confirmed the abduction.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the command was aware of the incident and had activated security measures to rescue the former lawmaker.
“The Ogun State Police Command is aware of the reported abduction of Hon. Musa Moruf in Ibiade, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area,” Babaseyi said.
“Security measures have been activated, including the deployment of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, and the public is advised to remain calm pending official updates,” he added.
A source in the community said Musa reportedly resisted his abductors for over 20 minutes, attracting the attention of nearby residents.
The source said the attackers fired shots into the air to scare people away before fleeing the area with the former lawmaker.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts were ongoing by security agencies to secure Musa’s release.
