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Gunmen have kidnapped a businessman, Oreoluwa Osunuga, who is the son-in-law of ex- Managing Director of the defunct Monitor newspaper, Ayo Akinyemi.

It was gathered that Osunuga, who operates a poultry farm, was kidnapped in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State on Sunday afternoon.

The gunmen reportedly accosted him as he exited the farm to buy fuel and deliver poultry products.

The incident was reported to the police at the Ikenne Divison Headquarters who visited the scene and recovered the victim’s 2017 Toyota Highlander vehicle.

The assailants have since reportedly contacted the victim’s family and made a N500 million ransom demand.

Confirming the incident, Ogun State Police Commissioner, Bode Ojajuni said, “We got the report of the kidnapping case and we are currently doing our investigation and making progress to rescue the victims.”

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A teenage suspect killed his grandparents before shooting dead at least six more people at a school near Bangkok Friday, police said.

First, he shot dead his grandparents, using his grandfather’s handgun, then went to a secondary school north of Bangkok and killed three teachers and three students, national police said in a statement.

Dozens of police and emergency responders gathered outside the Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province on Friday, while parents raced to pick up their children and tearful students and staff comforted each other outside.

“I was afraid that I would die, and I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dreams,” said Pawarisa Maylissa, a grade 12 student who hopes to attend medical school.

“I heard many gunshots very loudly because it seemed the suspect was on the floor directly above us. I could even hear bullets hitting the floor.”

Fifteen injured students were not struck by gunfire but hurt as they were trying to flee, deputy interior minister Polapee Suwunchwee told local broadcaster Thai PBS.

The shooter was identified as a teenage student of the school and also reported dead, according to local media reports citing authorities.

Some reports said police officers had shot and killed the suspect, while others said he had died by suicide.

“It’s such a terrible incident. It should never have happened. How could this happen in our country?” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters at Bangkok’s Government House.

Photos published by local media show the suspect wearing a purple school uniform and carrying a black cross-body bag, with several bullet casings visible on the ground.

An AFP journalist saw a dozen mental health workers arrive at the school, where traffic was nearly at a standstill.

Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region, with around 10 million firearms estimated to be in circulation — one for every seven inhabitants.

Past promises of tightening gun laws have not prevented repeated shootings.

Thai police shot and arrested a teenager who opened fire at a school in the south of the country in February, killing the principal and wounding two students.

The teen had used a police officer’s weapon in the shooting.

A local police chief said at the time that the suspect was hospitalised for psychiatric treatment in December and had been discharged.

The teen stabbed a police officer with a knife and stole his weapon — a 9mm pistol — just before the incident, and then used it to carry out the attack.

In 2022, an ex-policeman armed with a gun and a knife stormed into a nursery in the country’s north and murdered 24 children and 12 adults, one of Thailand’s deadliest massacres.

AFP

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Bandits on Sunday morning stormed Lata Nna community in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, killing a woman, abducting another resident and leaving several others feared dead.

Residents who spoke to the media said the attack was still ongoing as of the time of filing this report.

They said the heavily armed assailants invaded the community, firing indiscriminately and forcing residents to flee into nearby bushes and other safe locations.

The residents decried the absence of security personnel, accusing the authorities of failing to protect the community despite repeated appeals over persistent security threats in the area.

One of the residents said, “Lata Nna is currently under attack right now by bandits.”

The latest assault comes barely a day after a resident identified as Mohammed Abubakar Ndakpada Lata was abducted by suspected bandits while returning from his farm, with his captors reportedly demanding ₦100 million ransom for his release.

Speaking to the media, a resident said the attackers killed villagers, adding that the exact number of casualties had yet to be established.

“Some people were killed. The victims were at the back of the village. They were just killed there,” the source said.

As I’m speaking with you, I have not yet confirmed the total number of people killed. However, I can confirm that one Nupe woman was killed. She had gone behind the village to fetch firewood and was attacked.

“The woman is dead. People are now searching the area, and we will know later if there are more victims. As I’m talking to you, I cannot confirm that yet.”

The resident narrated how the attack caught the community by surprise, noting that there was no security presence when the gunmen struck.

“I was in the town when I suddenly heard gunshots. I was wondering what was happening because there is no security presence in our village,” the resident said.

The gunshots were not from locally made guns. We believe the attackers came unexpectedly. The vigilantes responded, but before they got there, they confirmed that one woman had already been killed.”

The resident lamented that the latest attack was only one in a long series of invasions that have turned life in the community into a nightmare, saying kidnappings and killings have become almost a daily occurrence.

Responding to a question on whether the attack was the first on the community, the source said: “Just the day before yesterday, my uncle was kidnapped while returning from his farm. The farm is less than two kilometres from the village. Yesterday, the kidnappers called and demanded a ransom of ₦100 million.

“Yes, he is still in their custody. These attacks happen almost every day. We have repeatedly appealed to the government to establish a military camp in our community, but they keep telling us the process is ongoing. Meanwhile, people are being killed and kidnapped every day. I don’t know what is going on.”

Residents said the continued attacks have left the community living in fear, as armed bandits reportedly move freely through the area while villagers remain vulnerable to repeated kidnappings and killings.