A former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Ekiti State University Ado-Ekiti, (EKSU), Femi Olaofe has been reportedly kidnapped by some yet-to-be-identified gunmen.
Olaofe, a native of Are-Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun local government area of Ekiti, was a Professor of Industrial Chemistry.
He was whisked in his vehicle alongside his security man to an undisclosed location by the gunmen.
A member of the Olaofe’s family, who did not want to be named said that the professor’s abductors had already made contact with them and demanded N50 million as ransom.
Narrating the incident, residents of Ekiti State Housing Estate, Ado- Ekiti, where the abducted don’s house is located, have expressed concern for his safety.
A neighbour said the professor only returned to Ado Ekiti on Monday, July 8, 2024, after a short visit to Lagos, where he had gone to see his children.
“We also saw his gateman, who lives with him. As a retired Professor, his house is always very calm and always quiet.
“We have been neighbours for a long time. Anytime he drives out he will always wait to say hello.
“On the fateful day, however, we noticed that the gate of his house was left opened. This was strange because the gate is always closed,” the neighbour said.
Continuing, the neighbour added that they had approached the gate intending to call the security man to close the gate but when they called, there was no response.
The neighbour said, “We later struggled to make our way into the living room, and as we got closer, we noticed the door to the living room was widely opened. We shouted Professor, thrice, but there was no response.
“We decided to go around the compound, and yet we couldn’t find anyone. At this point we became suspicious that something had happened.
“We thereafter, decided to approach the Divisional Police Station, Housing Estate, where we made a report. The police saw sense, and reason in our agitations, and quickly swung into action,” the neighbour noted.
In addition, the source noted that residents in the area only got to know about the Professor’s abduction on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
The neighbour added that the professor was taken away in his car alongside his security man.
Police react
Confirming the incident, the Police Command in Ekiti on Friday, July 12, 2024, promised to apprehend the perpetrators and rescue the professor.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Adeniran Akinwale, said, “The truth is that the Prof was actually kidnapped, quietly from his house.
“The professor lives alone with only the guard. Quietly, because it was one small girl that saw the vehicle that moved out from the gate with speed that alerted people on the day of the incident, that should be in the night. They moved out, and before police would get wind of it, they had gone,” Akinwale said.
He added that an investigation into the incident is ongoing and that the police is currently tracking the kidnappers’ location.
Akinwale said, “The man has no wife at present because his wife died. His children are not here. We are tracking them. We have recovered the vehicle of the professor which they used to whisk him away from his house.
“We recovered it on Afao road in the night. We are trailing the professor with the culprits. By the special grace of God, we are going to rescue the man unhurt,” he said.
