Armed bandits on Wednesday evening stormed Gaa Fulani, a settlement in Iye-Mero, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, looting valuables and abducting several residents during a coordinated assault.
The attack, which unfolded between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., saw the assailants break into multiple homes and forcibly dispossess occupants of mobile phones, ATM cards, cash, clothing, shoes, bags, jewellery, and wristwatches.
Their attempted escape through the dense forest routes linking Ekiti, Kwara, and Kogi States was thwarted when members of the Iye-Mero community security network quickly alerted nearby soldiers.
Troops immediately mobilised to the area, triggering a prolonged exchange of gunfire.
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The intense pushback from the combined security forces eventually forced the attackers to release all abducted residents and flee deeper into the forest.
“All the kidnapped persons were recovered unharmed. The gunmen realised they had been outmatched and escaped,” a source involved in the operation confirmed.
Gaa Fulani’s location, close to Eruku in Kwara State and Egbe in Yagba West, Kogi State, has long made the area vulnerable, with criminals often exploiting the expansive forest corridors for movement. Security personnel have since increased patrols across the region to prevent further incursions.
