A staff of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa – Oke was killed, as six others were kidnapped by the gunmen who carried out the act on Tuesday. Two students who were also abducted escaped from the gunmen.

However, as at Wednesday morning,  the ICIR gathered that the two kidnapped students who escaped were in police custody.

Olaniyi Emmanuel Temitope, a registry staff of the institution was killed in the attack.

According to a statement released by the Osun State College of Technology, Public Relations Officer, Adewale Oyekanmi, he listed the names of the kidnapped staff as follows; Olaleye Olalekan, Adeyeoluwa Bankole, Jesuola Ajibola , Adenreti Chukwu and Rachael Onyinocha Akinboboye.

“There was an attack on Esa- Oke Road this evening after the closing of work, the list of staff members of Osun State College of Technology still being held in the bush by the kidnappers are; Mr Olaleye Olalekan Business Administration department, Engr. Adeyeoluwa Bankole , HOD civil engineering, Dr Jesuola Ajibola Director ventures, Adenreti Chukwu secretary to the civil engineering department, Rachael Onyinocha Akinboboye, OSCOTECH Microfinance Bank and Olaniyi Emmanuel Temitope registry staff(died on the spot),” he said in a statement.

Mr Oyekanmi also explained, that the gunmen blocked Esa-Oke Road (a road leading to the college campus), where they stopped several vehicles including the victims’ vehicles and abducted them.

The spokesperson of Osun state police, Folashade Odoro, in a phone interview with the ICIR, confirmed that the identity of the kidnappers was yet to be unravelled. She said efforts are on to secure the release of the other victims.

” We cannot determine the identity of the kidnappers presently, because investigations are still ongoing. As I am talking to you, I’m at the scene of the incident and we are working round the clock to make sure we release the others from the hands of the kidnappers.”

She also confirmed that the escaped students were in the custody of the police and debunked claims that the abductors were ” Fulani herdsmen”.

” Nobody knows who the kidnappers are and I cannot tell what I don’t know. Any rumour you hear is not true until we complete our investigation,” she said.

However, the Students’ Union President of the institution, Adekunle Adeleke,  said the two students who escaped from their abductors disclosed that their kidnappers were Fulani herdsmen.

“As at 4:30 p.m. yesterday, they launched the attack. Out of the eight people abducted, two have returned and six are still in the bush,” he said.

This would be the second incident this year that gunmen would kidnap people while on transit in the state.

According to a NAN report, a Methodist priest and two elders of the church were kidnapped on Iwo-Osogbo Road, while returning to Osogbo from Ile-Ogbo after a church meeting in June.