JUST IN: Gunmen abduct Ekiti APC chairman Paul Omotoso

Paul Omotoso, the chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti, has been abducted by unidentified armed attackers, Peoples Gazette heard Saturday night.

Mr Omotoso was kidnapped hours ago while commuting between Agbado Ekiti and Imesi Ekiti, The Gazette learnt, with sources saying the politician was driving on the lonely road when the gunmen ambushed and seized him.

Segun Dipe, a spokesman for APC in Ekiti, said the chairman was alone inside the vehicle when the attack happened.

“He (Omotosho) was driving alone in his vehicle when the gunmen waylaid him around 6:00 p.m. today. They (gunmen) shot at his vehicle and he was whisked away into an unknown destination within the axis,” he said. 

He further disclosed that the kidnap incident had been reported to all the security agencies, including the Amotekun Corps and the police in the state.

Ekiti police spokesman Sunday Abutu said he had not been sufficiently briefed on Mr Omotoso’s abduction but admitted knowledge of the incident.

Mr Omotoso, who assumed office as chairman in 2021, played a crucial role in the emergence of Bola Tinubu as president in February 2023. He also coordinated the ruling party’s 2022 statewide election in Ekiti, where the party retained the governorship and majority of state assembly seats.  

His abduction underscored rising insecurity across the South-West, where armed attackers have targeted civilians in Ekiti and neighbouring Ondo State in recent weeks.