BANDITS ABDUCT PREGNANT WOMAN, NURSING MOTHER, THREE OTHERS IN EKITI, DEMAND N100M RANSOM

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Gunmen have abducted a pregnant woman, a nursing mother and three other females from a residence in Erinmope-Ekiti, Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State, demanding a ransom of ₦100 million for their release.

The victims were taken over the weekend when the assailants stormed the community, firing sporadically before whisking away five members of a household.

Narrating the incident, the head of the family, Muhammad Saliu Okanlawon, also known as Elebenla, said the attackers struck while male members of the household were away at a mosque, leaving only women and children at home.

According to Okanlawon, the abducted persons are wives and children of his younger brother and son, identified as Kehinde Mahmud, Adijat Hussein, Hawawu Suleiman, Fatima, and another woman also named Fatima.

“They came to our house shooting heavily. The men were in the mosque, so nobody suspected anything. It was only after the attack that we realised five female members of the family were missing,” he said.

He noted that security agencies, including the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun Corps and other operatives, responded promptly and trailed the kidnappers but were unable to intercept them.

“The Area Commander also came. We later learnt that the kidnappers did not take their usual route towards Osin in Kwara State. They probably mingled with people in the community to hide their identities,” Okanlawon added.

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He disclosed that the kidnappers contacted the family once to demand ₦100 million ransom but have since gone silent.

“We are appealing to the government to come to our aid. We don’t know what to do. One of the victims is heavily pregnant, about nine months, and the trauma she must be facing is unimaginable. This is a very painful experience for us,” he said.

Okanlawon described the incident as strange, noting that the family had lived peacefully in the community for over 70 years without experiencing such an attack.

“All the abducted persons are female, including a pregnant woman and a nursing mother. We are appealing to the state and local governments for help because there is no way we can raise such an amount,” he lamented.

Security agencies are yet to officially comment on the development as efforts to secure the release of the abducted victims continue.