A 60-year-old farmer and school headmaster, Mr. Owoade Mathew, who was abducted by gunmen in the Igbojaye community of Oyo State, has regained his freedom following an intensive joint security operation.
The Oyo State Police Command confirmed that Mathew was rescued late on Monday, July 13, 2026, after sustained operational pressure from a joint team comprising police officers, personnel of the Amotekun Corps, local hunters and vigilantes reportedly forced his abductors to abandon him in the forest.
Mathew, popularly known in his community as “Onaiye,” is also the headmaster of Nomadic Basic School, Igbojaye.
He was reported missing after he failed to return from his farm along the Igbojaye–Budo Aare Farm Road on Saturday afternoon, July 11.
Following his disappearance, family members organised a search early on Sunday morning and discovered his abandoned Bajaj motorcycle in a nearby bush.
Shortly afterwards, the abductors contacted the family through Mathew’s mobile phone, confirming that he had been kidnapped and demanding a ₦30 million ransom for his release.
Following a distress report, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, ordered an immediate and intensive manhunt for the kidnappers and the rescue of the victim.
The operation involved the Command’s specialised Anti-Kidnapping Squad and tactical units, working alongside other security personnel, Amotekun operatives, local hunters and vigilantes to comb the surrounding forests.
According to the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, the sustained search and operational pressure mounted by the joint security forces eventually compelled the kidnappers to abandon their victim in the forest.
“The operational pressure mounted by security personnel forced the abductors to abandon the victim,” Ayanlade said in an official statement.
Following his rescue, Mathew was taken to a medical facility for physical evaluation and necessary treatment.
The police said he would be debriefed by investigators once medically cleared, as part of ongoing efforts to identify, track down and prosecute those responsible for his abduction.
The Oyo State Police Command also clarified reports surrounding the circumstances of Mathew’s abduction, dismissing claims circulating in some sections of the media that the headmaster was kidnapped within school premises.
“The Command wishes to clarify that, contrary to inaccurate reports circulating in some sections of the media, the victim was abducted while on his farm and not within the premises of any school,” the police statement said.
CP Olugbenga commended the tireless efforts of the joint security teams as well as the vital cooperation provided by residents of the local community during the operation.
The Commissioner of Police reiterated the commitment of security agencies to dismantling kidnapping networks and ensuring that criminal elements have no safe haven anywhere in Oyo State.
