Gunmen have abducted three people, including two employees of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) at its Idi Ayunre facility in the Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, and are demanding N120 million for their release. The incident occurred during office hours on Thursday, October 8, 2026, according to reports from The Punch and the Nigerian Tribune.
Victims Identified as CRIN Staff and Resident
The two CRIN staff members taken are Mrs Eunice Babalola, who leads the institute's Central Nursery, and Kehinde Gbalajobi, an agricultural superintendent. The third victim is a man who lives in the institute's SS Quarters but does not work for CRIN.
A source familiar with the situation told the Nigerian Tribune that Babalola and Gbalajobi were on foot, moving from the Central Nursery to the SS Quarters to pick something up from Babalola's residence, and were due to be collected by a driver on their way back to the main office.
Attempted Abduction at Central Nursery Thwarted
"The dedicated duo were picked up by kidnappers on their way from the nursery to the SS Quarters, while another man, a resident of the CRIN SS Quarters who is not a staff member of the institute, was also kidnapped," the source said.
After seizing the three victims, the gunmen reportedly moved toward the Central Nursery in an attempt to abduct more people. Security personnel on duty there opened fire, forcing the attackers to retreat without taking any additional hostages.
Ransom Demand and Police Response
Furthermore, the source confirmed that the kidnappers have since reached out to relatives of the three abductees, issuing a ransom demand of N120 million for all three to be freed.
The Oyo State Police Command's spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, confirmed the kidnapping, disclosing that the victims were taken while inspecting crops on a farm within the institute's grounds. "A manhunt has been launched, and operational efforts are ongoing to ensure the victims' safe return and bring those responsible to justice," Olayinka said.
He added that the command was doing everything possible to resolve the situation and called on members of the public with useful information to report to the nearest police station or reach the command through its emergency channels.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that armed groups, criminal kidnappers, and terrorists abducted 91 health workers and killed 15 others across 101 separate attacks on Nigerian healthcare facilities between 2023 and 2025, according to a new international report. The figures come from the 'Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025' report, published by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, with data compiled using Insecurity Insight's global monitoring system.
