Kwara attacks: Monarch, Baale’s wife, others feared abducted

Suspected bandits have launched a fresh wave of attacks across communities in Kwara State, abducting the first wife of the Baale of Dabu in Ifelodun Local Government Area, a traditional ruler in Isin and several other residents, including women and a child, in separate raids in the state’s southern and northern districts.

The PUNCH reports that the attacks, which occurred between Friday night and Saturday, have renewed concerns over insecurity in parts of Kwara, with residents and community groups calling for intensified security operations to rescue those in captivity and prevent further attacks.

In Dabu community, Ifelodun Local Government Area, the gunmen were said to have invaded the area on Friday night and abducted the first wife of the Baale, popularly known as Iya Ayoka.

The latest abduction came amid growing concerns over renewed attacks in parts of Kwara South, where several communities have, in recent months, reported kidnappings and other attacks by armed groups.

The Kwara South Development Forum, in a statement issued on Sunday, called for the immediate rescue of Iya Ayoka, saying residents were no longer willing to raise money to pay ransom to secure the freedom of kidnapped victims.

The statement was signed by the forum’s Secretary, Olasehinde Oluwatoba, on behalf of its Convener, Obashola Ridwan.

“We are not ready to pay a dime. The government needs to bring her back to us.

The woman is popularly called Iya Ayoka. She has been supportive to many people in her area during this hardship, when many markets have been shut down, and many nearby villages have been deserted,” the group said.

It added that repeated kidnappings had placed a heavy financial burden on residents, many of whom, it said, had previously contributed money to pay ransom for victims.

“Many are begging for food. We have used all our money to pay ransom, so we are tired,” the forum said.

The KSDF also alleged that residents who had earlier fled their communities because of insecurity had begun returning, only for the armed groups to launch fresh attacks.

It said the renewed attacks had heightened fears that more communities could again be deserted if urgent steps were not taken to secure the area.

According to the group, appeals to the chairman of Ifelodun Local Government Area over the security situation had yet to produce the expected results.

“We have been calling on the Ifelodun Local Government chairman, and he has been assuring us, but nothing has been done,” the organisation said.

The group also accused the state government of attempting to downplay the security situation in Kwara South.

“And the government doesn’t want us to publicise the attacks and kidnappings, while the insecurity in our region has not stopped,” it added.

The attack in Dabu came as the forum renewed calls for the rescue of a 23-year-old woman, Babatunde Fasilat, who has remained in captivity following an earlier attack on Wande community.

Fasilat was abducted during a bandit attack on the community after her father was reportedly shot while attempting to resist the attackers.

The circumstances surrounding the date of the Wande attack could not be immediately reconciled, as sources cited different dates, including July 15 and July 26.

Speaking on condition of anonymity on Sunday, a source familiar with the incident said four armed men invaded the community and took the woman away after shooting her father.

“Her father was shot, and the bullet penetrated the other side of his body.

The bandits were four. While her father was trying to defend himself, they went to her room and kidnapped her,” the source said.

The KSDF said the kidnappers had demanded N20m for Fasilat’s release and alleged that they were using her TikTok account to make posts while contacting people to press their ransom demand.

“They are using her TikTok account to make a post and keep calling while demanding ransom, and we have used all available channels to seek government help, but no single response from the Kwara State Government,” the group alleged.

The organisation said Fasilat’s father sustained a serious injury during the attack and had since faced health challenges while the family sought ways to secure her release.

“Fasilat’s father lost consciousness while the bullet penetrated through his body and came out from the other side. He was hospitalised.

“Now, he is battling with his health and also looking for ways to secure the release of his daughter,” the group said.

Meanwhile, in another attack in Kwara South, armed men were reported to have abducted the traditional ruler of Igbesi land after invading the community on Saturday.

Igbesi is a community within Oke-Onigbin town in Isin Local Government Area.

Details of the attack remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report, but an elder from the community, who requested anonymity, said the attackers stormed the community, fired shots during the operation and whisked the traditional ruler away into the bush.

The reported abduction of the Igbesi monarch adds to a pattern of attacks targeting traditional institutions and rural communities in Kwara.

Earlier in April, suspected bandits abducted the traditional ruler of Olayinka community in Ifelodun LGA, Oba Salman Aweda, alongside his wife and another resident during a midnight raid on the community.

While Kwara South grappled with the latest attacks, gunmen also struck communities in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara North.

In Kokona village, also known as Yana Tsonga, in the Tsaragi district, gunmen reportedly invaded a fuel station on Friday night and abducted two people.

One of the victims was said to be a final-year student of Adesina College of Education who was reportedly at the filling station to celebrate her sign-out programme.

The second victim was identified by some sources as a female employee of the fuel station, although other accounts indicated that both abducted persons were workers at the station.

The identities of the victims could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

Less than 24 hours later, another attack was reported in Wodata Rumallan, also known as Gidan Panu, in the Lafiagi area of Edu Local Government.

A source, identified simply as Musa, said the attackers struck the community at about 9:17 pm on Saturday, firing shots that caused panic among residents.

Two people, identified as a child, Rukayat, and her stepmother, Hazare, were said to be missing after the attack.

A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the security situation, said soldiers arrived in the community about an hour after the gunmen had struck.

The source said the number of casualties could not be immediately confirmed, with efforts still ongoing to determine the full impact of the attack.

The incident was the second reported attack in Edu LGA within 24 hours.

The fresh raids have further underscored the security challenges confronting communities across different parts of Kwara, months after a deadly wave of violence and attacks in other areas of the state.

The KSDF called on the governor, the Federal Government and security agencies to take urgent steps to rescue Iya Ayoka, Fasilat and other persons currently being held by their abductors.

“We are calling on the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and security agencies to immediately secure the release of all abducted victims in Kwara South and put an end to insecurity in the region,” the group said.

The forum urged security agencies to intensify operations in forests and other suspected hideouts of the armed groups, while calling for stronger intervention from both the state and Federal Governments.

Efforts to obtain comments from the Kwara State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls and a text message sent to the Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, seeking the command’s reaction to the reported attacks had yet to be responded to as of press time.