Pandemonium broke out Wednesday at Ajebamidele area of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, following the kidnap of four residents by gunmen.
Residents of the community trooped out en masse and blockaded of the Ado-Ikere highway during a protest that started early Wednesday morning with hundreds of vehicles stranded.
The kidnap incident which took place in Goshen Land community in Ajebamidele, Tuesday evening, had left residents in shock with economic and social activities paralysed as shops and business centres shut at the time of filing this report.
The protesters disclosed that a couple, whose names were given as Mr and Mrs Falomo and a man said to be a pastor, were among the kidnap victims.
Mrs. Falomo was said to have been trailed to her residence by the kidnappers who were said to be armed with AK-47 rifles and her husband who came out on a rescue mission was also abducted.
According to the residents, the kidnappers fired several gunshots into the air during the attack to prevent any rescue of the victims with some residents just arriving and also fleeing in different directions.
The other two victims were said to have been kidnapped as the gunmen were making their way out of the community while policemen from the Ologede Police Station along Ikere Road arrived the crime scene shortly after the kidnappers had left.
The protesting residents however expressed worry over the level of insecurity in the land and called on both federal and state governments to urgently do something to save them from criminals.
Some of their placards read “Save Us From Kidnappers,” “We Are No Longer Safe, Government Come To Our Rescue,” “Ajebamidele On Fire, Kidnappers Have Taken Over,” “No Movement On The Road Until Government Stops Kidnapping,” “Citizens Are No Longer Safe, What Is Happening,” “Security Is A Dividend of Democracy, Give It To Us,” “Ajebamidele Must Be Free From Kidnappers and Robbers,” among others.
The Chairman of Goshen Landlords Association, Mr. Samuel Fasua, said the protest was staged to draw the attention of government to the incident for the authorities to do something urgent to save the beleaguered residents.
Fasua said: “I was called suddenly when an okada rider who witnessed the incident raised an alarm that armed kidnappers were already in the neighborhood. That was why we called the Police to rescue us.”
Another resident, Engr. Emmanuel Ayodeji, who disclosed that his sister-in-law was among those kidnapped disclosed that the abductors have called the family to demand for a ransom of N10 million.
