2.6.1. Ekiti

2.6.1. Ekiti

Ekiti state is comprised of the following 15 LGAs: Ado, Efon, Ekiti East, Ekiti South-West, Ekiti West, Emure, Gbonyin (also Ayekire), Ido Osi, Ijero, Ikere, Ikole, Ilejemeje, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ise/Orun, Moba and Oye.1742 The capital city is Ado-Ekiti.1743

The main ethnic group in Ekiti state are the Ekiti, a Yoruba subgroup. Other groups include minorities of the Akoko Yoruba subgroup.1744

UNFPA and the US Census Bureau projected the population at 3 592 163 in 2022, based on figures from the 2006 census.1745

a) Conflict dynamics and main actors

For a general overview on actors in Nigeria, please see section 1.1 Main Actors.

The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), a Nigerian NGO with a focus on good governance and democratic development, noted in a report of February 2025 that in the period from 2011 to 2024, Ekiti ranked among the country’s five safest states and that the South-West remained ‘relatively stable’ despite ‘pockets of violence’.1746

In September 2024, the state government reportedly condemned a ‘wave of kidnappings’ that had resurfaced, although the state had enjoyed ‘relative peace’ until then, according to a state official.1747 Incidents of kidnappings were reported in January 2024,1748 September 2024,1749 November 2024,1750 December 2024,1751 and April 2025.1752 Sources also reported of incidents of killings by unidentified armed men during the reference period.1753 Sometimes, killings occurred in the context of (attempted) abductions.1754

In terms of cult activities, media sources described incidents involving the following cult groups: the Supreme Eiye Confraternity, the Black Axe,1755 and the Buccaneer Confraternity.1756

b) Security incidents and impact on the population

In the period 1 January 2024 - 31 August 2025, ACLED recorded 30 security incidents in Ekiti state, resulting in 16 fatalities. Of these security incidents, 10 were coded as battles, 3 as riots, and 17 incidents were coded as violence against civilians.1757

Security incidents were recorded by ACLED in 10 LGAs of the state, with the highest number recorded in the capital city Ado Ekiti (12 incidents), followed by Ikere (5 incidents), Emure (4 incidents), and Ilejemeje LGAs (3). No security incidents were recorded in five LGAs. According to ACLED, unidentified armed groups (coded as either ‘Actor 1’ or ‘Actor 2’) were involved in 14 of the 17 security incidents coded as violence against civilians, the majority of them abductions and killings.1759

For example, in January 2024, unknown gunmen abducted six pupils, three teachers and the driver of a school bus travelling in Emure LGA.1760 On the same day in a separate incident, two traditional rulers were killed by unknown attackers while they were travelling along the Oke-Ako-Ipao Ekiti-Aiyedun road in Ikole LGA.1761 The abducted children and teachers were released a few days later; the driver, however, was killed by the kidnappers.1762 The gang had reportedly established a hideout in the forest between Ise and Emure LGAs.1763 Other sources also reported about suspected criminals hiding in forests in1764 and across border regions,1765 including along major roads.1766

Conflict-related infrastructure damage - No information could be found during the reference period.

Road security - No additional information on road security other than the aforementioned incidents could be found during the reference period.

Displacement, movement and return - No information could be found during the reference period.

c) State response in maintaining law and order

In mid-February 2024, the police arrested several members of a kidnapping gang, including vigilante members, involved in the abduction of a school bus in Emure LGA.1767 In September 2024, Punch reported of a meeting between special advisors on security from Etiki and neighbouring states to tackle an increase in ‘cross-border insecurity’ and ‘inter-border crimes’ where suspected perpetrators moved to neighbouring states to evade prosecution.1768 In January 2025, the police commissioner of Ekiti state noted that border security was strengthened to curb the ‘influx of bandits’.1769 ‘Bush combing operations’ in coordination with neighbouring states targeting suspected criminals hiding in the state’s forests were also reported in April 2025.1770 A special security agency tasked with securing farmland and forests, the so-called the Agro Marshalls (ESAM), had already been established by the Ekiti state government in April 2024.1771 As of May 2025, crime rates had decreased across the state, according to the state’s governor, although there still was insufficient security coverage in the rural areas.1772 To ensure security especially at grassroot level, more than 400 additional members were recruited into the state’s security network of Amotekun,1773 Agro-Marshall and Grazing Marshall Corps in July 2025.1774