Again, gunmen ambush travellers in Ekiti, kill one

Police confirm incident

Gunmen, suspected to be kidnappers, have ambushed travellers in Ekiti State, killing one person while the whereabouts of others are still unknown as of the time of filing this report.

The incident was not an isolated case, as kidnappings have become recurring occurrences in the state, with casualties recorded in most cases.

It was gathered that victims of the attack were ambushed late on Saturday evening at a location between Ikere-Ekiti, headquarters of Ikere Local Council and Iju, a boundary town in Ondo State.

The victims were said to have been waylaid after the hoodlums suddenly came out from the bush to stop their vehicles with guns. It was, however, not clear as of the time of filing this report if about three vehicles said to have been attacked managed to escape with their passengers.

MEANWHILE, spokesman for the Police Command, ASP Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the incident to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday, said one person lost his life to the attack.

According to him, the passengers who were travelling in a Sharon Mini Bus that was attacked were coming from Ondo State and heading towards Ekiti when the incident happened.

Abutu, who said the command had already launched a “discrete investigation and serious manhunt” to unmask the gunmen, disclosed that the driver of the bus managed to escape from the scene with the vehicle and ran to Ilupeju-Ikere Divisional Police Headquarters in Ekiti State to report the incident.

“The driver said he was courageous enough to have speedily escaped with his passengers from the scene but in the process, one of the passengers was unfortunately hit by a bullet and was rushed to General Hospital, Ikere-Ekiti, where he later died.

“The Ekiti State Commissioner of Police implores everyone in the state not to panic as the command shall join force with Ondo State Police Command to ensure that the perpetrators are made to face the full wrath of the law,” he said.

Abutu, therefore, urged the people of the state with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the gunmen not to hesitate doing so at any nearest police station.