Blessing Bello, Reporting
GUNMEN suspected to be bandits have attacked three communities across two local government areas in Kwara State, abducting several residents in a series of coordinated raids carried out on Thursday night.
The attacks targeted Gaa-Alla and Gaa-Oke Abba in Isin Local Government Area, as well as Famole Community in Ifelodun Local Government Area, with the operation beginning simultaneously at around 10:00 p.m., according to local sources.
Confirming the incident, the state Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said two people were taken from Gaa-Alla Community.
“I can only confirm that in Gaa-Alla Community, two people were abducted and that the police, in conjunction with the military and forest guards, are on the trail of the assailants,” he said.
However, sources within the affected communities have painted a more alarming picture, claiming that suspected terrorists kidnapped a larger number of residents and killed one person during a gun battle in Famole Community.
One source said at least two persons were abducted in Gaa-Alla, adding that the exact number of victims seized from Gaa-Oke Abba could not be immediately established.
“The number of people kidnapped in Gaa-Oke Abba is still unknown because efforts are ongoing to determine the full extent of the attack,” the source said.
The attack on Famole Community, located along the Share–Oke Ode Road near the Oyi River in Oke-Ode Ward II of Ifelodun Local Government Area, turned deadly after residents reportedly engaged the attackers in an exchange of gunfire.
“The bandits’ attack on Famole Community in the night resulted in one fatality after an exchange of gunfire,” the source confirmed.
The police commissioner assured that security forces were actively pursuing the assailants, though no arrests have been reported at this stage.
The latest violence adds to growing concerns over insecurity in rural parts of North-Central Nigeria, where banditry and kidnapping for ransom have become increasingly common.
