Ekiti residents protest as gunmen again kidnap 4 persons

Some residents of Ado-Ekiti, on Wednesday protested in the state capital and lkere-Ekiti over the kidnapping of another set of four travelers on the axis by unknown gunmen.

The kidnap incident allegedly took place late on Tuesday evening, in Goshen Land Community in Ajebamidele area of Ado-Ekiti, located on the way to Ikere-Ekiti.

Sources in the community told newsmen that a couple, whose names were given as Mr and Mrs Falomo, and a man, said to be a pastor, were among the kidnapped victims.

Mrs Falomo was said to have been trailed to her residence by the kidnappers who were said to be armed with AK-47 rifles. Her husband who came out on a rescue mission was also abducted.

According to the sources, the kidnappers fired several gunshots into the air during the attack to thwart any attempt to rescue the victims.

The other two victims were said to have been kidnapped as the gunmen were making their way out of the community.

It was learnt that policemen from Ologede Police Division, along Ikere Road, arrived the crime scene shortly after the kidnappers had left.

The angry residents, in their large number, trooped out in the early hours of Wednesday, to barricade the highway, lamenting that kidnapping was becoming too incessant in the state. They called for urgent action to stop the menace.

They decried the level of insecurity in the state, and called on both the federal and state governments to urgently do something to save them from further apprehension.

Some of their placards read “Save us from kidnappers,” “We are no longer safe, Government come to our rescue,” “Kidnappers have taken over,” “No movement on the road until government stops kidnapping”.

Others are; “Citizens are no longer safe”, “What Is happening,” “Security is a dividend of democracy, give it to us,” “Ekiti must be free from kidnappers and robbers,” among others.

Mr Samuel Fasua, Chairman of Goshen Landlords Association, said the protest was staged to draw the attention of government to the incident, to do something urgent to save the residents.

Another resident, Emmanuel Ayodeji, who disclosed that his sister-in-law was among those kidnapped, disclosed that the abductors had called the family on Wednesday morning to demand for a ransom of N10 million.

Ayodeji said: “My sister-in-law was among those kidnapped and they packed to this area not quite one month ago.”

Reports said that during the period the protest lasted, all economic and social activities were paralysed, with shops and business centers closed.

There were long queues of vehicles on both sides of the Ado-Ekiti-Ikere highway with police officers appealing to the protesting residents to allow a free flow of traffic, which they rebuffed.

The road was, however, reopened to traffic at about 10.05 am after the Police succeeded in convincing the protesters to allow traffic to resume.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the State, ASP Sunday Abutu, said he would formally react to the alleged incident as soon as full details get to the command from the DPO in the area.