Ekiti State — December 4, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
Armed terrorists on the evening of December 3, 2025 launched a violent raid on Gaa Fulani community in Iye-Mero, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, attacking homes, looting valuables and abducting several residents before being intercepted. The assailants reportedly broke in between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., ransacking houses and stealing phones, ATM cards, cash, jewellery, clothes, and other personal belongings.
Responding swiftly, the local community security network mobilised within minutes and called in nearby soldiers. The combined force engaged the terrorists in a heavy gunfight that reverberated across the forested border area linking Ekiti with Kwara and Kogi states.
Faced with stiff resistance, the bandits abandoned their captives and fled deeper into the bush. Remarkably, all the abducted individuals were rescued alive, sources within the community confirmed.
The incident occurring in one of Nigeria’s increasingly porous border zones underscores the persistent danger posed by forest-enabled smuggling and banditry networks that exploit weak security presence. Residents had earlier expressed fears over the use of bush routes connecting Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi by criminal groups for movement and kidnappings.
Local security watchers are now calling for sustained forest patrols, better intelligence-sharing and community-security cooperation to prevent further attacks. The swift rescue is being hailed as a rare success, but many warn that without long-term structural intervention, communities like Iye-Mero remain vulnerable.