Suspected gunmen have shot dead an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) working in Ekiti.

It was gathered that the officer was shot while traveling in his vehicle along Oke Ako-Ajowa road in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti.

The spokesman of the NSCDC in Ekiti, Tolu Afolabi, confirmed the news on Sunday in Ado Ekiti. 

Mr Afolabi said the officer was attacked by the two kidnappers while traveling to his hometown from Ado Ekiti yesterday evening. 

“He was shot while on his way to his hometown from Ado Ekiti on Saturday evening,” Mr Afolabi said. 

He added that the abductors also succeeded in abducting some passengers in the car and immediately marched them into the thick forest.  

“We gathered that the abductors succeeded in their mission by kidnapping other passengers suspected to be some of his family members in the vehicle,” Mr Afolabi added. 

According to him, an investigation was already ongoing with the mission to arrest the criminals.

A resident of Oke Oka, Titilayo Afun, told Peoples Gazette that the incident has already caused apprehension among the residents.  

Mrs Afun said that some hunters have grouped themselves into batches and are combing the bush to rescue those abducted. 

“The hunters are doing that with the aid of the police. I saw some of them on our way to church this morning,” she said.  

Locals in the Oke Oka community have always complained about the unwholesome activities of Fulani herdsmen in the area while noting that the grazing of cattle on farmlands and produce had been inimical to their livelihood and economy. 

In March 2022, a cleric with the Christ Apostolic Church Possibility Chapel, Michael Adeyeye, was kidnapped inside his church in Oke Ako, by armed bandits. He later escaped from the kidnappers’ den a few days after.