Crime
Four abducted by bandits in Ekiti
Four persons including a child have been abducted by unidentified gunmen in Ekiti state.
It was gathered that the victims were kidnapped at Ilasa Ekiti, Ekiti East Local Government Area of the state.
Residents said that the assailants stormed a place known as Eti-Ero in Ilasa Ekiti around 1:30 am.
The gunmen ransacked the area, abducted a child (believed to be Yoruba) and three adult farmers.
The eyewitness said: “The gunmen came around 1.30 am and started shooting sporadically. The gunshots generated a lot of panic and some brave people among them had to rush out of their buildings and fled into the bush.
“As they were shooting, they were searching all the buildings and in the course of doing the searching, they got home of a child confirmed to be less than 10 years and three others who were farmers.
“They have been taken to an unknown destination and no one has been contacted as of now.”
However, the Ekiti Police command’s spokesman, Sunday Abutu has faulted the number of victims, saying that only two persons were abducted, not four.
“Even the police have rescued one of the captives from the abductors and one person had been arrested in connection with the midnight raid.
“Our men are searching the bushes for the only person in their custody. We assure the people of Ekiti State that we will get him rescued and the culprits will be arrested to face justice”, Abutu said.
Chronicle NG reported how bandits abducted four travellers were kidnapped along Ayetoro-Ekiti Otun road in Ekiti State on September 12.
Residents of the area revealed that the gunmen whisked the victims away into the forest beside the road.
According to a witness, who was one of the passengers that escaped, the bandits waylaid two buses in transit from Otun-Ekiti. However, they only able to capture four travellers.
“Definitely, they were the ones who operated along Ayetoro – Ewu Road on Sunday evening. The Sunday operation was not successful and that was why they waited around to carry out this one,” the source said.
It was also gathered that the suspected hoodlums, upon missing their primary target on Sunday evening, had begun to attack commercial motorcyclists (Okada men).
The gunmen shot sporadically into the air, to scare away residents of the area.
