JUST IN: Gunmen invade Ekiti community, kidnap eight funeral guests

Unknown gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Tuesday kidnapped eight funeral guests at Itapaji-Ekiti in Ikole Council Area of Ekiti State.

The incident was reportedly occurred barely a week after four persons were abducted at Ayebode-Ekiti in the same local government.

It was gathered that the gunmen besieged a house located in the heart of the town around 9.30pm and shot sporadically into the air before carting away with 14 occupants of the building.

According to an eye-witness, the gunshots that lasted for over one and half hours were said to have severely terrified the entire community.

The source said that the owner of the building was preparing for his mother’s burial and the preparations were said to have been on the top gear when the gunmen struck.

“The men numbering about seven came around 9.30pm with guns and surrounded the building.

“As the occupants of the house were coming out, they were grabbed and made to lie face down. They were later taken away into the bush. They were 14 initially but six of them escaped into the bush”.

He added: “Early today (Wednesday), one of the family members received a call from the abductors and demanded for a ransom of N50m,” he said.

When contacted, the Spokesman of the Ekiti State Command, Sunday Abutu, confirmed the incident, adding the Commissioner of Police, Tunde Mobayo, has ordered his men to begin search for the victims.

“The Command is working on that. Already a special police operatives as well as the JTF have been deployed in that axis to ensure they rescue the victims and for possible arrest of the culprits,” he added.