At least six Lagos‑based real estate marketers have been abducted in Oyebola village, Obafemi‑Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, while on an inspection visit to a landed property.

The group had travelled to the community on Friday as part of a routine assessment of their company’s land, which was scheduled to be promoted in an upcoming marketing campaign.

According to the Ogun State Police Command, the marketers arrived to verify the land’s features and gather information for potential clients when they were ambushed by suspected kidnappers.

The incident has heightened fears among property investors and estate developers operating across the region.

Confirming the development on Sunday night, Commissioner of Police Lanre Ogunlowo said the command received the distress report immediately after the abduction and deployed personnel for a coordinated search‑and‑rescue operation.

“They brought some marketers from Lagos to come and see the land so that they can have the requisite information to market the land for members of the public who are interested. It was during their visit to this land that the six people were abducted. The command has been on it since, and we shall definitely ensure that these people regain their freedom,” Ogunlowo stated.

While operational details were not disclosed, police assured the public that progress was being made to track the kidnappers’ movements.

Broader Security Crisis

The Oyebola abduction adds to a growing list of kidnappings that have unsettled Nigerians across the regions and intensified calls for rejig of Nigeria’s security architecture.

Over recent months, abductions targeting professionals, travelers, religious groups, and schoolchildren have increased in frequency and scale, creating a heightened climate of fear.

Just days before the Ogun incident, southern governors renewed their push for the establishment of state police, arguing that the current centralized policing structure is overstretched and unable to respond swiftly to localized threats.

Meeting in Iperu‑Remo, Ogun State, and led by Governor Dapo Abiodun, the governors insisted that state police “remains non‑negotiable” if states are to effectively safeguard lives and property.

Their renewed call followed a series of high‑profile mass abductions: on 21 November, more than 300 students were seized from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, one of the largest school kidnappings in recent years.

In Kebbi State, 25 girls were abducted from a school, while in Kwara State, 38 worshippers were taken from a church during an evening service.