Martins Owoseni

EKITI, Nigeria – Gunmen on Saturday abducted three travellers in Emure, Ekiti State, South-West Nigeria, security sources told a local newspaper on Sunday.

The attackers also killed a man, identified as Taiwo Oluwole, the husband of one of the captives.

The incident occurred around 5:30 PM near Oyimo River, along Emure-Eporo road in Emure, the sources, who pleaded anonymity told The Punch newspaper.

Some pupils of Apostolic Faith Children School were kidnapped at the same spot in January.

One Mrs Atinuke, wife of a retiree, Albert Adanikin, was also kidnapped on July 13 this year in the same area, the news outlet said.

However, Oluwole and his wife were said to be returning to Akure, Ondo State after attending a family event in Emure when their vehicle, a Toyota Camry, was ambushed.

Oluwole was hit by the bullet, and his wife, along with two other occupants of the car, was subsequently kidnapped, The Punch reported, citing sources.

“Taiwo Oluwole was killed, while his wife and two others were taken into captivity inside the bush. He was shot while the vehicle was in motion and died instantly. His corpse has been deposited at the Emure Ekiti General Hospital,” one of the sources said.

A resident of Emure who identified himself as Akin, confirmed the incident, stating that the kidnappers had not yet contacted the family of the deceased’s wife as of the time of filing this report.

“The late Taiwo was returning to Akure after attending a family event in the town. He was driving his Toyota Camry when they came under heavy gunfire from the bush, killing him instantly.

“The kidnappers then took the family through the forest in the Eporo area of the town. We have not been able to speak to them, and the kidnappers have not contacted the family yet.”

The Chairman of Emure Local Government, Tosin Adedayo, also confirmed the incident and stated that a joint security team had been pursuing the kidnappers since the report was made.

Adedayo said, “I am aware and have been actively involved in the rescue mission to free our people. Soldiers, policemen, and others who went after the kidnappers have not returned since yesterday. We are confident that our people will be freed.”

Emure shares a border with Supare, a community in Ondo State.

The Ekiti State Police Command’s spokesman, Sunday Abutu, did not respond to calls or messages as of the time of filing this report.

Insecurity and violence in Nigeria

For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups.

Since the start of 2024 civilians have faced intensified violence across Nigeria, and near-daily attacks by armed groups resulting in kidnappings and other abuses against civilians.

Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.

A Nigerian soldier, Suleiman S., had alleged that the government’s practice of paying ransoms terrorists – dubbed as bandits in the country was hindering the military’s ability to effectively combat them.

He urged the public to redirect their blame from the Nigerian Army to the government, emphasising that soldiers are constrained by orders and cannot take independent action.

The soldier said the military has the capability to eradicate bandits, particularly in hotspots like Zamfara State forest within a week if given the necessary orders.

He expressed frustration that the military’s potential is being wasted due to a lack of direction from leadership, whom he accused of profiting from the ongoing crisis.

He cited the assassination of a Sokoto State monarch, Alhaji Isa Muhammad Bawa as an example of a coordinated plan by certain individuals or groups to perpetuate insecurity.

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