Bandits Kill 10, abduct several in Kwara community despite gov’t’s denial
At least 10 people were confirmed dead on Sunday morning following an attack by bandits on Oke Ode community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, despite government claims that security operatives had repelled the assault.
Several residents were also reportedly abducted during the incident.
A local vigilante member, identified simply as Ajetunmobi, told Sobi FM that contrary to official statements, the attack was not thwarted but left devastating consequences.
“We have been hearing that the bandits were around the community since Saturday night and we sent out messages to security operatives to be prepared. To our surprise, this morning the attackers started the attack from the duty post, targeting the vigilantes,” he said.
According to him, the casualties included community members identified as Oji, Saheed Metubi, Baale Ógba Ayo, among others. The corpses were taken to the police station, while those injured were rushed to the General Hospital in Share.
He further accused the government of neglecting its responsibility to safeguard lives, despite receiving intelligence about a possible attack days earlier.
“The government failed in its primary duty. Information has been circulating for some time now that they are planning to attack Oke Ode. Why were the soldiers withdrawn?” he asked.
Meanwhile, the National President of the Oke Ode Community Development Association, Alhaji Ganiyu Ajala, condemned the killings and urged authorities to scale up their response.
“While commending the government on the various security measures already put in place, we call for redoubling of efforts towards completely routing these undesirable elements from the Oke Ode axis and the entire state in general,” Ajala said.
As of press time, the Kwara State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
