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| Okada riders gather near Ore; community worried |
A commercial motorcyclist who had been missing since last Sunday was found dead inside a well near Ore Stadium in Odigbo Local Government Area, police and local reports say.
Neighbors and fellow riders first raised the alarm after the man did not return from a run on August 17, according to accounts gathered by reporters working from Ore.
The dead man was identified by police records and local sources as Isah Ibrahim, a rider who worked the Ore route and who had earned a small but steady living ferrying people around town.
Officers with the Ondo State Police Command recovered the remains from the well on Thursday after local searches turned up no sign of Ibrahim in the ordinary places where a missing person might be.
State police have opened a murder investigation and the commissioner has ordered a full probe to find who was responsible and why the body was dumped in the well, the force’s spokespeople said.
At the scene, colleagues and residents said Ibrahim had taken a passenger earlier the same day he disappeared. Those who spoke to reporters suggested that he did not return after that job.
Riders told local journalists that Ibrahim’s red Bajaj motorcycle was missing when his body was found, which has led to talk that the killing may be tied to the surge in motorcycle snatching in the area.
Police have not released a public timeline of forensic steps yet, but they confirmed the body was taken for proper post-mortem procedures and that an evidence sweep was carried out around the well and nearby spots.
Local leaders in Ore expressed alarm and called for more patrols, saying residents feel exposed when men on bikes vanish after evening runs. Community voices asked security agencies to step up patrols and hunting for the stolen machines.
The recovery of Ibrahim’s remains has reawakened an old worry in Ore and surrounding towns: attacks on lone riders and theft of motorcycles. Police data and reporting from the region show a string of similar violent robberies in recent months, prompting calls for targeted security moves.
Investigators said they are tracing Ibrahim’s last known movements, checking CCTV where available, and interviewing witnesses who might place him with a passenger or suspects before he vanished. Local officers said the probe will cover phone records and known criminal routes.
People close to Ibrahim described him as a hard worker who rode to support family needs. Those who knew him said his sudden disappearance left colleagues searching the streets and markets for days until the grim discovery.
Riders say they have grown wary of carrying strangers at certain hours, and some have started to adjust their routes or work in pairs for safety. That shift shows how a single violent event can ripple through a small town’s daily life and livelihoods.
The Ondo police are asking anyone with information to step forward. They say they will chase every lead and hold anyone who broke the law to account once there is solid evidence and arrests are made.
For now, detectives are holding back some details, not wanting to give any clues to suspects. The investigation is moving, and officers say they’re chasing every lead they can.