Richard Elesho
For the third time in less than a week, gunmen have attacked Okoloke, an agrarian community in Yagbawest Local Government Area, Kogi State, with a bustling Fulani population.
An unknown number of the hoodlums stormed the community in the early hours of Tuesday. A source familiar with the attack claimed that the criminals forced their way into the house of one Ezekiel Durojaiye, a retiree and community leader in Okunran, a little distance from Okoloke.
After subduing the neighbourhood, the criminals led Pa Durojaiye and three others to the bush at gunpoint. The incident has heightened tension in the area.
Yagbawest has been under the siege of gunmen for some time. Last week Thursday, bandits abducted Oba James Dada Ogunyamda, the traditional ruler of the village. Three days later, they kidnapped three men made up of two vigilante officers and a staff of glomobile.
The gunmen later made contact, setting a N100 million, which was later negotiated to N50m ransome on the 90-year-old monarch. His family has since cried out asking for support from the government, groups, and individuals to raise the ransom.
The local government and the Kogi State Police Command assured of ongoing efforts to rescue previous victims of abduction in the area.