Armed bandits launched an attack on the Gaa Fulani community in Iye-Mero, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, on Wednesday evening, abducting several residents and looting valuables during a raid that lasted from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on December 3, 2025.
According to residents, the attackers invaded homes and carted away phones, ATM cards, cash, clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery, and wristwatches before fleeing with their captives.
Their escape, however, was short-lived. Members of the Iye-Mero community security network, supported by nearby soldiers, intercepted the gang, leading to an extended gunfight across the dense forest corridors connecting Ekiti, Kwara, and Kogi States.
Reports say that the armed resistance forced the bandits to abandon their captives and retreat. “All the abducted persons were rescued alive. The bandits realised they had been overpowered and took to their heels,” one source confirmed.
The community’s strategic position, bordering Eruku in Kwara and Egbe in Yagba West, Kogi, has long raised concerns due to the porous forest routes frequently exploited by criminal groups.
