The Oyo State Police Command has launched a coordinated security operation involving multiple agencies to rescue a farmer allegedly abducted by gunmen in Igbojaye community, Oyo State.

The Command said the operation followed the reported abduction of Mr. Mathew Owoade who was declared missing after failing to return from his farm along the Igbojaye–Budo Aare Farm Road.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, preliminary investigations showed that the victim left for his farm at about 4:00 p.m. on Saturday but did not return home, prompting his family to organise a search.

He said the search party later recovered the victim’s Bajaj motorcycle at the farm in the early hours of Sunday.

“Shortly afterwards, the victim’s mobile phone was used to contact his family, during which the caller informed them that he had been abducted, prompting the matter to be reported to the police,” the statement said.

The Command clarified that, contrary to reports circulating in some sections of the media, the victim was abducted on his farm and not within the premises of any school.

It urged members of the public to disregard what it described as misleading reports and rely only on information released through official channels.

Following the report, the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, Mr. Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, directed the immediate deployment of a joint rescue team comprising police operatives, personnel of the Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes and hunters to the area.

The statement said the team had commenced intensive combing of the surrounding forests in search of the victim, adding that the operation had been reinforced with the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad and other tactical units.

The police said the various security agencies were working collaboratively to ensure the victim’s safe rescue and the arrest of those behind the abduction.

Olugbenga assured residents that the Command remained committed to combating kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state.

He urged members of the public to remain calm and continue providing timely and credible information that would support ongoing security operations.

The Commissioner reiterated the Command’s commitment to protecting lives and property through sustained collaboration with sister security agencies and community stakeholders to enhance public safety across Oyo State.