Ekiti residents protest over kidnappings by bandits, block roads

Residents of Ikole Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, as early as 7:00 am on Monday, blocked the Ikole-Ijesa road and Ikole-Abuja road protesting the deteriorating security in the area.

It was gathered that for the past four weeks, gunmen stormed the area and kidnapped about 15 people, including two former lawmakers, the manager of hotels in the state.

The protesters, mainly the youths who chanted solidarity songs, carried placards with various inscriptions bearing their agitations while some of them barricaded roads Ijesa Isu- Ikole and Oye-Ikole-Kwara roads linking to Abuja to show their grievances.

Some of the protesters who block the Ijesu -Ikole road carried placards with several inscriptions, such as “Government should provide security for Ikole Ekiti”; “We need security in Ikole community,”; “Ikole is bleeding, rescue us”; “Our lives matter save our soul”; Our Traditional ruler don sleep” among others, to press home their demands.

They also chanted “Ekiti ni di afoju to” meaning; “We need security”. Motorists on both sides of the road, those coming into Ado Ekiti, the state capital and those going out of the metropolis, were stranded for the period of the protest.

The youths who spoke with our reporter said they could no longer bear the situation again as they now live in their father’s land with fear.

According to them, killings and kidnapping have now become a daily occurrence in the community, adding that the perpetrators operate with impunity without any check.

Speaking with Newsflash Nigeria, the leader of the Youths and Speaker Ekiti Youth Parliament, Mr Toba Fatunla said several persons abducted a few days ago were still in the den of kidnappers.

Fatunla called on the state government and the security agents to take pragmatic steps to end the ugly situation.

Recall that, on Thursday, March 24, Newsflash Nigeria had reported that gunmen suspected to be kidnappers had abducted five travellers in Ijesu Ekiti –Ikole road in Ikole Local government area.

According to the report by Newsflash Nigeria, the passenger was travelling from Ado Ekiti to Ikole Ekiti when they have stopped the vehicle and pulled them out of his vehicle to an unknown destination.

Also, on Monday, March 21, kidnappers abducted Idowu Ajayi, a hotel Manager of Downtown Lounge and Bar, Ikole Ekiti along the same route.

On February 9, kidnappers also abducted a law practitioner and unspecified passengers along the Ijesa-Isu -Ikole road in the Ikole Local government area of Ekiti State.

Newsflash Nigeria gathered that a lawyer identified as Barrister Sule Adedayo Longe was abducted on his vehicle while travelling to Ado Ekiti from Omuo Oke Ekiti.

The gunmen had also kidnapped unspecified passengers from a commercial vehicle on the same route on February 9.

Longe, was a former House of Assembly member in Ekiti during the first term of Governor Ayodele Fayose and represented Ekiti East Constituency ll.

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