Bandits have launched yet another deadly raid in Kwara State, abducting 11 residents – including a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers and several children – in a fresh attack that has deepened national anxiety over escalating rural insecurity.
The attackers, reportedly more than 20 and moving with a large herd of cattle, stormed Isapa community in Ekiti local government area on Monday, firing sporadically. An elderly woman was said to have been struck by a stray bullet while houses and doors were riddled with gunshots. Dozens of expended AK-47 shells littered the area after the gunmen retreated.
A community leader who spoke anonymously confirmed that seven of the victims came from the same family. Those kidnapped include 20-year-old Talatu Kabiru; Sarah Sunday, a 22-year-old pregnant woman; nursing mothers Lami Fidelis and Haja Na-Allah; and children aged between five and ten. The Police have yet to issue an official statement.
The attack comes barely two weeks after gunmen invaded Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, kidnapping 38 worshippers – a group that was later rescued by security forces – and amid ongoing nationwide abductions, including over 200 schoolchildren still held in Niger State.
In response to the worsening situation, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday ordered a sweeping security cordon across forests in Kwara, Niger and Kebbi. According to Presidential spokesman, Sunday Dare, the directive mandates round-the-clock aerial surveillance alongside coordinated ground operations to flush out criminals hiding in remote enclaves.
Dare said the President has instructed the Air Force to intensify reconnaissance “across the innermost parts of the forests”, while urging communities to provide timely intelligence to security agencies. The renewed offensive, he said, reflects the administration’s commitment to ending banditry and restoring safety in vulnerable regions.
