On Monday, Chief Falae, 77, was abducted while on his farm, at Ago-Abo near Akure, the Ondo State capital, where he has worked since his retirement from public service. Chief Falae was secretary to the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida from January 1986 to December 1990 and was briefly the finance minister in 1990 before resigning to run for president in 1999.
He was apparently kidnapped by Fulani cattle herdsmen, who he had been having disputes with over grazing rights recently. Apparently, the abductors, who attacked the over 200 workers on Chief Falae's farm, contacted his wife, Rachael, demanding N100m as a ransom for his release.
Upon hearing about the abduction, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the security forces to mount an immediate search for Chief Falae and release him. It is unclear if there was any confrontation between the kidnappers and the police or if Chief Falae was released upon the payment of a ransom.
According to some sources, Chief Falae received a call that herdsmen had again invaded his farm on Monday morning and he immediately rushed there, where he was attacked and whisked away. Immediately after the kidnapping, Ondo State Police Command spokesman Wole Ogodo, said they deployed 50 riot policemen, led by the deputy commissioner of operations, Ishola Abdullahi, to Chief Falae’s farm.
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