Gunmen on Tuesday evening abducted a former member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Moruf Musa, at Ibiade in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of the state.
Musa, who served as Majority Leader of the Assembly between 2007 and 2011, was reportedly abducted around 7 p.m. while observing Muslim prayers inside a mosque located within his residence.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the Chairman of Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, Ganiyu Odunoiki, said the attackers struck during evening prayers and fired shots as they fled the scene.
“The report is true. The former lawmaker was abducted on Tuesday evening. The gunmen also reportedly shot sporadically along the road while escaping,” Odunoiki said.
He added that security personnel and local officials had begun searching nearby bushes, while reinforcements from the police Anti-Kidnapping Unit were expected to join the operation. According to him, the Area Commander of the Nigeria Police from Ogbere was already on ground.
The Ogun State Police Command also confirmed the abduction. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the command had activated security measures to secure the victim’s release.
“The Ogun State Police Command is aware of the reported abduction of Hon. Moruf Musa in Ibiade, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area. Security measures, including the deployment of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, have been activated,” Babaseyi said.
A community source disclosed that the former lawmaker reportedly struggled with the gunmen for more than 20 minutes, drawing the attention of residents. The attackers were said to have fired repeatedly into the air to disperse onlookers before escaping with the victim.