Gunmen struck along Ayedun – Ilasa – Ayebode Road in Ekiti State on Friday, kidnapping about three persons in multiple operations.
The gun battle between men of the Nigerian Army who were on a rescue mission and the gunmen at Ayebode Ekiti in the Ikole Local Government area scared road users who deserted the highway for hours.
Sources said that those kidnapped were held at Ayedun Ekiti – a town located along the same axis – after the soldiers succeeded in botching the bandits’ kidnapping attempts at Ayebode.
While some sources gave the number of the kidnapped persons in the incident as three, others said four.
One of the people that escaped the kidnap told journalists in Ado Ekiti that “the soldiers engaged the kidnappers at two different locations – Ayebode and Ilasa – and pursued them into the bush.
“The commuters were travelling along Ayebode – Ilasa Road when the gunmen started shooting and those who escaped the scene quickly called the nearby Army post and the personnel responded swiftly.
“Two of the occupants of the vehicle that escaped kidnap by the gunmen have been hit by bullets and sustained injuries in their legs, while their car was riddled with bullets, but three of them were unlucky as the gunmen picked them up after escaping from the soldiers.”
A source said the quick intervention of the soldiers prevented many more from being kidnapped.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the incident, said that the combined forces of the military men and the police rescued six men from the kidnappers.
Abutu said, “The information we heard was that four persons were abducted. But the security men responded swiftly to the situation and rescued six. Some people had earlier been kidnapped. We have begun an investigation and we will try and ensure that the abductees are brought back safe and sound.”
