Eight staff of Osun College of Technology, Esa-Oke were on Tuesday kidnapped by unidentified gunmen.

The Public Relations Officer of the college, Mr Adewale Oyekanmi, made this known in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo.

According to him, the gunmen also shot dead another staff who attempted to escape from the scene of the incident at about 4:30pm.

Oyekanmi explained that the gunmen blocked Esa-Oke Road (a road leading to the college campus), stopped several vehicles including the victims’ vehicles and abducted them.

“So far, the gunmen have not made contact with the families of the kidnapped persons or with the college management. The police, Department of State Security and men of the OPC are combing the bushes to see if they can rescue the kidnapped staff,” he said.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs Folashade Odoro, said the police were aware of the matter, adding that it would soon issue an official statement.

NAN recalls that this would be the second incident in the year that gunmen would kidnap people while on transit in the state.

In June, a Methodist priest and two elders of the church were kidnapped on Iwo-Osogbo Road, while returning to Osogbo from Ile-Ogbo after a church meeting. (NAN)