Armed bandits have renewed their onslaught in Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, killing one person and abducting another during an early Thursday morning raid in Gbale community.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived in the area around 2:00 a.m. but were confronted by local hunters and vigilantes who engaged them in a fierce exchange of gunfire.
The joint community security team reportedly overpowered the invaders, forcing them to retreat toward the nearby Bishewa settlement after facing stiff resistance.
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Upon reaching Bishewa, the gunmen launched another raid, attacking the home of two stepbrothers, killing one and abducting the other.
“They killed Ndako, the elder brother, and took the younger one, Audu, away,” a local source told The Guardian.
The incident has further deepened fear among residents of Kwara’s riverine and forested communities, which have continued to witness recurring cases of abduction and violence in recent months.
In response to the growing insecurity, the Nigerian Army has reportedly deployed a full brigade, supported with heavy military equipment, to parts of Kwara South and Kwara North to flush out bandits hiding in the forests.
According to Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, troops were sighted advancing through Oke Ode and Babanla in Ifelodun Local Government Area as part of the ongoing security operation.
The military exercise, tagged Operation Fasan Yanma, also extends to Edu and Patigi Local Government Areas, where soldiers are conducting intensive forest operations to dismantle kidnappers’ camps and ransom networks.
