Does This Video Show Bandits Taking Over Ekiti State Community?
On June 10, 2026, an X user @SM_CEE10 claimed that bandits have taken over Ago Aduloju area in Ekiti State and killed one community leader and 12 soldiers, and abducted 12 men and 14 women. The post had a 10-second video showing armoured vehicles and armed men, with the caption, “Bandits have finally taken over Ekiti state Ago Aduloju They have killed one community leader and 12 soldiers, and abducted 12 men and 14 women.”
When this report was published, the claim had about 284,000 views and over 4,350 replies, reposts, quotes, likes, and bookmarks.
VERIFICATION
A visual analysis from various keyframes from the video using Google lens revealed that part of this video appeared online in February 2026 on a social media security post in Burkina Faso here, here and here
Ago Aduloju is a residential suburb of Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. The only documented security incident specifically linked to Ago Aduloju in recent years was in May 2022, when the Ekiti State Police Command arrested nine suspected kidnappers in the area. This incident was a routine law enforcement operation, not a bandit takeover.
All verified 2026 bandit attacks in Ekiti have occurred in border communities in the state’s northern and eastern fringes Eda Oniyo (Ilejemeje LGA), Irele, Ijowa, and Oke-Ako, not in the state capital’s suburbs.
Ekiti State is experiencing a serious and escalating banditry problem with attackers believed to have established camps in forests straddling the Ekiti-Kogi-Kwara border zone. The Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Mr Falade Adegoroye, acknowledged the threat while indicating active security operations are ongoing. As of June 2026, community members in Eda Oniyo were protesting and demanding the release of abductees held for over 36 days, with kidnappers demanding ₦50 million ransom.
CONCLUSION
The claim that bandits have taken over Ago Aduloju area in Ekiti State after killing and abducting people is FALSE. While Ekiti State is currently experiencing a worsening banditry and kidnapping crisis, this claim is not supported by any credible intelligence report or evidence.
