BANDITS KILL POLICEMAN, ABDUCT VILLAGERS IN FRESH KWARA ATTACKS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Fresh waves of bandit attacks have swept through rural communities in Kwara State, leaving a police officer dead and several villagers abducted in separate incidents across Edu, Patigi, and Ifelodun Local Government Areas.
In the latest assault, gunmen stormed Chekugi village in the Lafiagi Emirate of Edu LGA on Wednesday morning, abducting four residents. The incident occurred barely 24 hours after bandits raided Matokun village in Patigi LGA, where a pregnant woman was killed and at least five people were injured.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers held Matokun residents hostage for more than five hours before escaping with 12 captives. Four later escaped, but eight remain in captivity. As of press time, no ransom demand had been made.
One of the injured victims was referred to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital after doctors at the General Hospital, Patigi, said his case was beyond their capacity.
A resident described the community as deserted following the raid, lamenting that an earlier distress call to the army unit in Patigi yielded no response.
“Our people alerted the army before the attack, but no soldier came. We later learnt they were waiting for reinforcement from Lafiagi. Now, Matokun is deserted, farms abandoned, and livelihoods destroyed,” the source said, appealing for urgent government support to strengthen local security.
Meanwhile, in Ifelodun LGA, gunmen attacked a mining site in Agbonran on Tuesday, killing a police orderly attached to a Chinese company, Corporal Salisu Shamaki Three of his colleagues are still missing, though the Chinese workers escaped unhurt.
The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, confirmed Shamaki’s killing in a telephone interview, but said he was still awaiting full details on the Edu and Patigi attacks.
Since January 2025, banditry and kidnappings have escalated in Kwara, particularly in Patigi, Kaiama, Baruten, Edu, and Ifelodun LGAs, leaving several dead, many abducted, and farmlands abandoned.
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