Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
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Sympathizers from all parts of Ekiti State have begun to throng the family house of the late legal practitioner, Mr. Adeola Adebayo, who was recently killed by suspected kidnappers along Efon-Erio-Aramoko road.

 The late legal practitioner who was a former Secretary of the Ikole branch,  Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) was kidnapped on November 17, 2018 alongside with his wife, Mrs. Titilope Adebayo, his parents and other family members while returning from a wedding ceremony held in Oshogbo, the capital of Osun State.

Speaking with Journalists on behalf of the bereaved family in his house located at Government Reserved Area (GRA) Onigari area, Ado Ekit, the father-inlaw to the deceased, Chief Peter Adekunle, who is also the Mayegun of Ado Ekiti, said the 33-year -old lawyer was in company of other members of his family,  while returning  from a wedding ceremony, when they were abducted by the suspected kidnappers.

“They were traveling with a Highlander Jeep and got to a spot along Itaure/Erio at a about 3:15pm on the fateful day, when  they stopped the car and marched all of them into the bush including his wife who is a nursing mother, his sister, aged mother and father.

“Immediately they entered into the bush, the suspected kidnappers disclosed to them that they are kidnappers. Few minutes later his 9-month-old baby was crying seriously,  the move which prompted the suspected kidnappers to hurriedly released the mother and little baby including the younger sister to the late lawyer.

“At this stage the family has contacted the police at Aramoko and they immediately moved to the area , during which they engaged the kidnappers in series of gun duel.

” The development which made the mother and the father of the lawyer to escape to the bush, but the suspected kidnappers later moved away with the late lawyer to unknown destination.

“Later,  they contacted the family on phone and demanded for one hundred million and warned us not to involve the police. They later reduced it to fifty and later twenty million. But after the family rounded up, we were able to raise three million and we informed them.

” On the fateful day we wanted to pay the ransom, they gave the phone to the late lawyer to talk to us. He told us not to bring cheque and that we should not involve police or any other para-military men. Later in the day, they called us to bring the money to a spot at Ibuji community at the boundary of Ondo and Ekiti State.

“The kidnappers equally warned me seriously that I should only come with my driver while bringing the money. When we got to Ibuji, they called me on phone that should come through the road that links Igbara-Oke to Ikere Ekiti”

“After ten minutes, they called again and told me that I should stop at a spot that somebody will come out and collect the money from me, I told my driver to turn back, immediately he turned back, one man dressed in black with mask on  his face came out with gun and asked, “where is the money?”

At this stage, I bowed down including the driver, so that we don’t look at his face.

“The man asked me, if the money is complet and I quickly replied him that the money is completed.

“He told us that we should go to Aramoko and meet the lawyer.

So, when I raised up my head, i saw about eight hefty men pointing gun towards our direction. Immediately the man entered  the bush, the kidnappers opened fire and busted our tyre.

“The driver moved with the tyre from the spot to Ibuji, before we could change it with the extra one at the back of my vehicle and move quickly to Aramoko so that we can pick the lawyer. But to our surprise, we were at the community for three days, we didn’t hear from them and they didn’t call us again.

” At this stage, we had dropped our telephone numbers to everybody in all the communities around the place,  including the police. But the next call we received was when somebody  called us from Ado-Ekiti that they discovered a decomposed body in the bush.

“Immediately we got the message, we rushed to the scene and discovered that the young lawyer had been shot dead. At this stage, we were advised to involve the police again.

” So, they assisted the family by taking the corpse to the hospital for autopsy. During the autopsy, we discovered two gunshot at his back,” he stated.

The physically disturbed community leader, lamented over what he called lack of security in some parts of the country, especially in Ekiti state.

He, therefore, called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to intensify more surveillance activities in some areas that has become flash points for the suspected kidnappers.

He mentioned some of the roads to include, Okemesi, Itaore, Erio, Erinjinyan, Ibuji, Efon and Igbara-Oke, Iju and Ikere Ekiti among others.

Meanwhile, members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ado -Ekiti have charged the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the state Commissioner of Police, Bello  Ahmed and the Director of Security State Services, Mrs Precious Ihenacho to act promptly and address the situation.