By Paul Ebi
The quiet Gaa Fulani community in Iye-Mero, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State descended into chaos on Wednesday evening as armed bandits launched a violent raid, abducting residents and carting away valuables before meeting stiff resistance from local security operatives.
The attackers stormed the settlement between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on December 3, 2025, tearing through homes and looting items including phones, ATM cards, cash, clothing, bags, footwear, jewellery, and wristwatches. Panic spread through the border community, which shares forestry links with Eruku in Kwara State and Egbe in Yagba West, Kogi State—routes residents say are frequently exploited by criminal gangs.
However, luck ran out for the attackers when members of the Iye-Mero community vigilante group intercepted them, later receiving reinforcement from nearby soldiers. What followed was a heated exchange of gunfire that echoed across the forest belt linking the three states.
According to sources, the intense resistance forced the bandits to abandon their captives and retreat deeper into the bush.
> “All the abducted persons were rescued alive. The bandits realised they had been overpowered and took to their heels,” one source confirmed.
Border Security Woes Deepen
Iye-Mero’s exposure to three state boundaries has increasingly become a security nightmare, with residents repeatedly expressing concern over porous forest trails exploited by marauding armed groups.
The assault came just hours after a separate violent incident in neighbouring Kogi State, where protesters demonstrating against repeated killings were met with gunfire.
Youth Protest Turns Bloody In Kogi@In Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, tension boiled over after bandits attacked Irunda Ile in the early hours of Wednesday, reportedly killing two residents. Outraged youths assembled for what witnesses described as a peaceful protest, demanding urgent intervention from authorities
However, the protest spiralled into violence when security forces deployed to disperse the gathering clashed with demonstrators. Shots were fired amid the ensuing confusion.
Multiple sources confirmed that two youths were pronounced dead, while two others remain on life support.
> “The youths were only protesting against the killings in the community. We never expected things to turn out this way,” a heartbroken resident recounted. “It was a devastating escalation of an already traumatic day.”
Mounting Pressure For Government Action
The coordinated blows—an attack in Ekiti and a deadly protest response in Kogi—have intensified calls for decisive government intervention as border communities continue to grapple with mounting insecurity.
Residents insist that without urgent and strategic security reinforcement along the Ekiti–Kwara–Kogi corridor, the region remains vulnerably exposed to more cross-border incursions.
