Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have attacked travellers along Akure-Ado road, killing one of the travellers.
It was gathered that the gunmen attacked the vehicle to kidnap the travellers.
The incident, according to a source, happened on Saturday at about 7 pm when the travellers were waylaid by the gunmen at a location between Ikere Ekiti, headquarters of Ikere local government of Ekiti State and Iju, a boundary town in Ondo State.
The victims were said to have been waylaid after the hoodlums numbering about eight suddenly came from the bush and started shooting in the direction of the vehicle.
The source added that the driver was able to manoeuvre his way, escaping from the ambush but one of the travellers was killed by the gunmen.
He said: “It was a commercial vehicle coming from Akure to Ado-Ekiti but they were attacked by the gunmen who emerged from the bush with dangerous weapons.
“It took the brave driving from the driver because he plies the road virtually every day for the travellers to avoid being kidnapped. The gunmen opened fire on the vehicle and one of the occupants was hit by a bullet and died.”
Confirming the incident on Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Ekiti command, ASP Sunday Abutu said one person lost his life to the attack.
He said the command had already launched a “discrete investigation and serious manhunt” to unmask the gunmen.
He disclosed that the driver of the bus managed to escape from the scene with the vehicle and ran to Ilupeju-Ikere Divisional Police Headquarters in Ekiti State to report the incident.
“The driver accounted that he was brave enough to have speedily escaped with his passengers from the scene but in the process, one of the passengers was unfortunately hit by a bullet and was rushed to General Hospital, Ikere-Ekiti where he later died.
“The Ekiti State Commissioner of Police implores everyone in the state not to panic as the command shall join force with Ondo State Police Command to ensure that the perpetrators are made to face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
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