Police arrest one as gunmen abduct child, three farmers in Ekiti

GUNMEN struck in a farmstead in the Ilasa district of Ekiti East Council area of Ekiti State and kidnapped a child and three farmers in the early hours of Wednesday.

Sources said the whereabouts of the kidnapped child, who was of Yoruba descent, and the three Ebira farmers had remained unknown since then.

The sources, who said the night invasion of Eti-Ero farmstead by the gunmen occurred at about 1.30am on Wednesday morning, disclosed that virtually all households in the place were ransacked.

A source said, “The gunmen came around 1.30am and started shooting sporadically. The gunshots caused a lot of panic and some brave residents summoned courage to rush out of their buildings and fled into the bush.”

Another eyewitness said, “As they were shooting, they were searching all the residences and in the course of doing the searching, they got to the place where the child said to be less than 10 years and three farmers were. They have since been taken to an unknown destination and no one has been contacted as of now.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the incident, said, “Two persons were abducted, not four. Even the police have rescued one of the captives from the abductors and one suspect has been arrested in connection with the midnight raid.