Terrorists, locally dubbed as bandits, have reportedly attacked Igbonla community in the Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting several residents during a late night raid on Sunday.
A source who spoke to SaharaReporters under the condition of anonymity said the gunmen stormed the community around midnight, shooting sporadically to instill fear among residents before whisking away an undisclosed number of people.
“The attack happened on Sunday night. We don’t yet know the exact number of people kidnapped, but several residents were taken away,” the source said.
The incident has caused panic among locals, with many fleeing to nearby villages for safety.
The source told SaharaReporters that security operatives, including men of the Nigerian Police Force and vigilante groups, had since been deployed to the area to track down the assailants and rescue the victims.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Kwara State Police Command nor the state government has issued an official statement regarding the attack.
The latest incident adds to growing concerns over rising cases of banditry and kidnappings in Kwara South, particularly in rural communities.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that motorists in Osi and surrounding communities in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State have raised the alarm over alleged extortion by police officers deployed to combat banditry in the region.
The officers, who were reportedly assigned to tackle rising cases of kidnappings and armed attacks in parts of Kwara South, have instead been accused of using their presence to harass and extort money from road users.
In a video obtained by newsmen, police personnel stationed along the Osi–Eruku highway were seen stopping vehicles and demanding money from motorists.
The officers were reportedly operating with an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), which was meant to be used for anti-banditry patrols in the area.
In the footage, a visibly frustrated motorist narrated how the policemen had abandoned their core responsibility of securing the region from kidnappers and were instead preying on innocent travellers.
“They are assigned to fight kidnappers, but they are here collecting money from motorists,” the driver lamented.
“There is no day the kidnappers do not kill people in this area. Obo-Aiyegunle is there, Eruku is there — you don’t go there to face the terrorists, but you are here in the city collecting money from people.”
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