Horror in Ekiti: Kidnappers Rape Woman Dead, Demand Virgins

Fear gripped residents of Ajoni Local Government Area in Ekiti State following a chilling escalation of banditry where suspected kidnappers not only raped a middle-aged woman to death but later demanded two virgin girls in exchange for four men they seized during a ransom delivery.

The nightmare began in Ekamarun community when armed men abducted the woman while she was riding on a motorcycle with her son. The attackers opened fire, wounding the son who later survived and is receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Ikole-Ekiti. The woman was gang-raped repeatedly and died in captivity.

According to community accounts corroborated by multiple reports, the kidnappers contacted the family and demanded a bizarre ransom for her corpse: ₦1.5 million cash, Indian hemp, cocaine, crystal meth (known locally as ICE or Mkpuru Mmiri), “Canadian Loud,” and cartons of beer. Villagers, who insisted they do not trade in hard drugs, pooled money together and raised the cash equivalent.

Four brave men from the community volunteered to deliver the ransom in a bid to retrieve the body for burial. But the situation took a darker turn when the gunmen seized the four men as well.

In a fresh demand that has left the entire area traumatised, the kidnappers have now insisted on two virgin girls — some accounts specify girls from the same parents — to be handed over as “sex slaves” in exchange for the captured men’s release, threatening to kill them if the condition is not met.

The horror is not isolated. Six communities — Itapaji, Iyemero, Oke-Ako, Irele, Ijowa and Ipao — have been under sustained siege for years, with armed groups operating freely from forest camps spanning Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi states. Residents say the attackers have blocked access to water sources, farmlands and healthcare facilities, while holding about 40 people captive from across neighbouring states.

Community leaders, including Abimbola Omotoyinbo, Olubola Adeoye (Itapaji), Tosin Babalola, Chief Kehinde Abejide (Irele), Femi Bodunde (Oke-Ako), Joseph Osanipin (Iyemero) and Bayo Dada (Ipao), have written a desperate letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Ekiti State Governor Abiodun Oyebanji warning of an impending “genocide.”

“We wake up every day and every night not knowing when they will strike. We are shedding tears of blood,” the letter stated, adding that the communities have shown restraint despite being “children of warriors” who believe in the rule of law.

Traditional war chief Kehinde Akogun described the ordeal: “We had no choice but to comply financially to retrieve the woman’s corpse. We are choked and can no longer breathe.”

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere has confirmed the incident and raised the alarm nationwide. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the group described the demands for drugs and virgins as the “greatest demonstration of the heartlessness of these evil-doers,” calling on federal and state authorities to immediately raid bandit hideouts, cut off their funding and establish state police without further delay.

Residents have expressed deep frustration over the silence of their elected representatives. They alleged that both the senator representing the district and the member of the House of Representatives have done nothing beyond issuing condolence messages, with no visits or concrete intervention.

Many locals insist the attackers are known in the area and can be flushed out if security agencies act swiftly. They are now appealing directly to the Federal Government, the Nigeria Police Force, the military and Governor Oyebanji to deploy more personnel and restore normalcy before the crisis spirals into a full-blown humanitarian disaster.