Funmilayo Bamidele and her husband, Reverend Abiodun David, were reportedly kidnapped with four others after their vehicle was intercepted by armed men along the Iyemero-Eruku Road.

A journey home after a joyous engagement celebration has turned into a nightmare for a newlywed couple and four other travellers after they were abducted by armed bandits along the Iyemero-Eruku Road, near the Kwara-Kogi border.

The victims have been identified as Funmilayo Bamidele and her husband, Reverend Abiodun David.

The incident occurred on Saturday after the couple and their companions left Eruku in Kwara State, where they had attended their engagement ceremony.

According to information gathered by Daily Observer, the group was initially expected to travel through the Isanlu Road. However, the driver reportedly chose an alternative route after deciding to drop the couple’s best man and some other passengers at Iyamoye in Kogi State.

The decision to use the back road reportedly placed the vehicle on the Iyemero-Eruku axis, where armed men intercepted the travellers.

The attackers reportedly took the passengers into the bush and abandoned the vehicle, triggering an immediate search by security agencies and raising fears over the safety of the victims.

The abandoned vehicle was later discovered at an abandoned police station in Ayetoro, Ekiti State, according to the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo.

Confirming the incident, Ojo said security operatives had moved into the surrounding forests as part of efforts to track the abductors and rescue the victims.

The location of the incident has also prompted a wider security operation because the affected road links communities around the borders of Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti states.

Police personnel from the affected states, alongside soldiers, are reportedly coordinating efforts to locate the kidnappers and secure the release of the abducted travellers.

The abduction has cast a dark shadow over what should have been a memorable occasion for the newlywed couple, their families and friends.

Instead of returning home after celebrating their union, Funmilayo and Reverend Abiodun are now at the centre of an urgent rescue operation.

As of the time of filing this report, security authorities had not disclosed the exact whereabouts of the victims or confirmed whether the abductors had established contact with their families.

The search operation remains ongoing as security agencies work to trace the attackers and bring the victims home safely.