Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Prof. Femi Olaofe.

Olaofe, a native of Are-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was a Professor of Industrial Chemistry before his recent retirement from EKSU.

Confirming the abduction of the former DVC, the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, on Friday, July 12, 2024, promised to unmask the perpetrators of the act.

Akinwale, in an interview with journalists, said: “The truth is that Prof. Olaofe was kidnapped quietly from his house on Thursday night.

“The professor lives alone with only the guard. Quietly, because it was one small girl who saw the vehicle that moved out from the gate with speed and alerted people on the day of the incident; that should be in the night.

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“They moved out, and before police would get wind of it, they had gone.

“We have started working on it. The man has no wife at present because his wife is dead. His children are not here. We are tracking them.

“We have recovered the vehicle of the professor which they used to whisk him away from his house.

“We recovered it on Afao road in the night. We are trailing the professor with the culprits.

“By the special grace of God, we are going to rescue the man unhurt.”

A member of the former DVC’s family, who craved anonymity, said that his abductors had made contact and demanded N50 million ransom.

The Are-Ekiti Development Association (AREDAA), an umbrella body of social groups in the town, has also pleaded for Olaofe’s safety in the hands of his abductors.

The social group urged the Ekiti State Police Command to do everything humanly possible to secure the release of the retired professor.

The Star