Gunmen abducted the traditional ruler of Ode Oriya community in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday night, June 13, 2026, and shot his wife during the attack, prompting police to launch a full scale search and rescue operation across the area.
About six armed men stormed the residence of Chief Adeniyi Adelana, 60, at around 8:05 p.m. The attackers forced their way into the compound and whisked the monarch away through a nearby bush path. During the raid, his wife sustained a gunshot wound to her right hand.
Ondo State Police spokesperson DSP Abayomi Jimoh confirmed the incident and said the injured woman was rescued and taken to a medical facility, where she is responding positively to treatment. ‘A comprehensive search and rescue operation was immediately activated, with security operatives combing nearby forests, bush paths and suspected escape routes,’ Jimoh said.
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Tactical Teams Deployed Across Owo
Jimoh said tactical deployments had been strengthened across Ode Oriya and adjoining communities to enhance operational effectiveness. He added that the area was swiftly secured and a preliminary assessment of the crime scene had been conducted as part of ongoing investigations.
The Ondo State Government, through Commissioner for Information Idowu Ajanaku, promised to secure Adelana’s safe release. ‘Government remains confident that ongoing operations will yield the desired outcome and lead to the safe rescue of the victim while ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice,’ Ajanaku said in a statement issued in Akure on Sunday.
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However, the abduction adds to a growing list of attacks on traditional rulers across southern Nigeria in 2026. Furthermore, residents of Ode Oriya said the attack has left the community in fear, with many families reportedly relocating temporarily to neighbouring towns. The Commissioner of Police for Ondo State, Felix Ohagwu, personally directed the deployment of additional operatives to the axis.
Pattern of Attacks on Community Leaders
Meanwhile, the incident comes barely a week after Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed visited his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, to sympathise over the continued captivity of pupils and teachers abducted from Oriire schools. Notably, both incidents reflect a widening geography of insecurity that now spans community leaders, schoolchildren, and ordinary residents alike. Consequently, security analysts say the targeting of monarchs signals that criminal networks increasingly see traditional institutions as soft and lucrative targets for ransom.
