Punch
ABIODUN NEJO, in this piece examines the plight of some Ekiti communities whose existence has come under siege by incessant invasions and attendant kidnappings in the areas
With Christmas and New Year celebrations coming in few days time, as much as residents of parts of Ekiti State are wishing the season is celebrated peacefully and joyously, the fear of the gunmen lurking in the nearby forests is one thing they have to contend with.
Such communities include those in Ikole – Itapaji – Ayebode axis in the Ikole Local Government area and Ilasa in the Ekiti East Council in the state and along Ayedun – Ilasa – Ayebode Road and Iyemero also in Ikole Council.
The affected communities among others cannot forget in a hurry how the gunmen invaded them either at night or daytime in their homes, business outfits, farms and roads, resulting in abductions and the accompanying mental and physical torture and as well loss of money in form of ransom.
To them, there is nothing more warming, refreshing and relaxing than for them, their loved ones and neighbours to celebrate the festive season with relaxed mood in the comfort of their homes or at the relaxation spots as it had always been years before now.
The series of attacks by gunmen involving the communities especially in the last three months have sent jitters down the spines of the residents as the assurances of safety by the security agencies have not succeeded in calming their frayed nerves.
This is especially as the gunmen had been operating without resistance from the security agencies even when they applied the same approach in their operations with kidnap victims paying ransom on all occasions.
An indigene and Chairman, Itapaji Community Development Project Committee, Alhaji Suleman Sanusi, said the incessant gunmen attacks in the axis had succeeded in creating panic and fear in the area in addition to having adverse effects on the economy.
Sanusi said, “People are now afraid to move freely on the roads, go to the farms or go about their daily economic activities because the fear of kidnappers is the beginning of wisdom. Nobody is sure when they can operate. It is our appeal to government and security agencies to do the needful to end this ugly situation”.
Also, a resident of Ilasa Ekiti, Toyin Ayodele, said, “If there is no concerted effort by the government to place the security on red alert in the trouble spots in the area, residents may celebrate the Yuletide with fear of unknown.
“The best Christmas gifts government can give to the residents of the affected communities, is to deploy more security personnel into the area. Kidnapping and ransom taking has become the order of the day in the axis because the foreign invaders enter the border communities almost without any hindrance.
“Security in the area is almost non-existent despite the fact that it is a commercial hub of the state. There is also the high possibility of local collaborators who serve as informants to the kidnappers,” Ayodele said.
As recent as in the evening of Saturday December 11, gunmen launched an armed attack on Iyemero Ekiti and abducted a popular businesswoman identified as Alhaja Nusirat Saliu.
Sources said the AK-45 bearing gunmen numbering about five had spent some time in the neighbourhood before they eventually struck at a time convenient to them at about 8pm that fateful day when they announced their evil intent with sporadic gunshots.
