An atmosphere of fear is pervading Oluseyi Area in Omu-Aran, Kwara, following alleged disappearance of a 30-year old civil servant, Olaniyi Muyideen, in the area.

he News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that Muyideen is a staff of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) attached to Irepodun Local Government Education Authority, Omu-Aran office, as a computer operator

He was said to have left his house around 7.00 a.m on Wednesday, Sept. 30, leaving his door unlocked with his mobile phone and other items inside his room.

One Mr Femi, who claimed to be his landlord, told NAN that it was on Friday when Muyideen's parents called from Ilorin to inquire about him that he found that his door was unlocked.

He said that the fears of neighbours were further heightened when a search party, organised to ascertain his whereabouts, later found his slippers, clothes and underwear inside an uncompleted building few metres to the house.

Femi said the matter had already been reported to the Divisional Police Command in Omu-Aran. "I was thinking he had left for Ilorin from the office on Wednesday to check on his parents; it was his usual practice.

"It was when his parents called on Friday asking about him that I noticed he had left his door unlocked and I quickly raised an alarm," he said.

Reacting to the development, Mr Bisi Dosunmu, the Secretary, Irepodun Local Government Education, said his office was working with the police and the town's vigilance group to ascertain his whereabouts.

"We have been working together with the police, the town's vigilante and other law enforcement agencies in our efforts to locate him.

"It is our prayers that no arm befalls him so that we can locate him hail and healthy," he said.

NAN recalls that there have been incidents of attempted kidnapping and threat to life within the community in the last few months.

Efforts of the police to fight the menace recently paid off with the arrest of four suspected kidnappers known to have been terrorising the community and its environs.

The arrested kidnappers were said to have confessed to the kidnapping the leader of the Fulani clan in Ekiti Local Government Area, Alhaji Aliyu Harande, on July 9.

He was later released after payment of some undisclosed amount of money as ransom. A kidnap attempt was also made on a renowned Islamic cleric and community leader in Omu-Aran, Alhaji Issa Ten-Ten, on July 4 when he was going for the early morning prayers.

The suspect was said to have fled in an unidentified vehicle when the victim raised an alarm.