Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted a pregnant woman, a nursing mother and three other women during a late-night raid on a family residence in Erinmope-Ekiti, Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State, demanding a ₦100 million ransom for their release.
The attack, which occurred over the weekend, has thrown the quiet community into fear and shock, with residents describing it as unprecedented in the area’s history.
Recounting the ordeal, the head of the affected family, Muhammad Saliu Okanlawon, popularly known as Elebenla, said the armed men stormed their home while male members of the household were away at the mosque, firing sporadically before whisking away five female relatives.
The 60-year-old cattle dealer said the abducted victims are wives and children of his younger brother and son. He identified them as Kehinde Mahmud, Adijat Hussein, Hawawu Suleiman, Fatima, and another woman also named Fatima.
“They came shooting into the house. Because the men were in the mosque, nobody suspected danger until it was too late,” Okanlawon said. “After the attack, we realised that five women were missing. We immediately alerted the security agencies, and I must commend them for responding quickly.”
According to him, a joint security team comprising the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun operatives and other agencies pursued the kidnappers but failed to intercept them. He said intelligence later revealed that the assailants avoided their usual escape route through Osin in neighbouring Kwara State, possibly blending into the local population to evade detection.
The family head disclosed that the kidnappers contacted them only once, demanding ₦100 million ransom, and have since gone silent.
“We are appealing to the government to come to our aid. We don’t even know what to do anymore,” he lamented. “One of the women is nine months pregnant. You can imagine the pain, fear and trauma she must be going through. This is a terrible experience for our family.”
Okanlawon stressed that the incident was alien to Erinmope-Ekiti, noting that his family has lived peacefully in the community for more than seven decades, despite being originally from Kwara State.
“All the victims are women, including a pregnant woman and a nursing mother,” he added. “There is no way we can raise such an amount. We are begging the state and local governments to help us secure their release.”
As of the time of filing this report, the Ekiti State Police Command has not issued an official statement on the abduction.
