Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers attacked and abducted passengers from an 18-seater bus along the Ikare-Irun Akoko-Ado Ekiti highway in Ondo State over the weekend.
The commander of the state’s security outfit Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, confirmed the incident and the abduction.
The victims were returning from a party in Ekiti State and heading back to Ikare in Ondo State on Saturday.
Among the abducted were caterers who had attended the event to cook.
Adeleye informed newsmen that some of the abducted travelers have been rescued stating, “My men and soldiers from Ekiti are combing the forest. The hoodlums did not kidnap the 18 passengers in the bus. Some of the passengers escaped themselves, while our men with soldiers rescued some of the victims in the night. Our men are combing the forest as we speak.”
The attack reportedly occurred around 6 p.m. on Saturday. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the victims hail from the Irun Akoko, Ikare Akoko, and Ekiti communities.
One account mentioned that a young boy managed to escape, but his mother and her staff were taken into the forest by the kidnappers.
One of the victims who escaped, Toying Ogunyemi, shared his experience, noting that the kidnappers have not yet contacted the families for ransom.
Another source highlighted that military personnel, Amotekun Corps from Ekiti and Ondo States, and local vigilantes are conducting search operations in the forests to ensure the safe release of the remaining victims.
Spokesperson for the State’s Police Command, Funmi Odunlami, confirmed the abduction.
She stated, “Four people came to the station and reported that while on their way from Ado Ekiti to Ikare at Oyinmo camp, Irun-Ado Ekiti road, they were attacked by unknown gunmen but they escaped through the bush.” She added that a police search team has been deployed to the area and assured that the victims will be rescued unhurt soon.
