At least one person has been killed, another abducted and several others injured after armed men attacked Wande community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The attack occurred on Wednesday night, according to residents and a source familiar with the incident, who said the assailants invaded the community, opened fire on residents and fled after causing casualties.
The source said one person was killed during the attack, while another resident was taken away by the attackers. Several others reportedly sustained injuries.
A resident who spoke about the incident said he was assaulted by the attackers and suffered a head injury after being hit with the butt of a gun.
“They hit me on the head with the butt of their gun. Blood has been coming out from my head. The person they shot; we are taking him to the hospital in Igbaja. We are on our way,” he said.
Residents expressed concern over increasing attacks in Kwara South, saying the situation has forced some people to abandon their communities.
“Kwara South has become a hotspot for bandit attacks, while many communities have been deserted,” a resident said.
A security source told SaharaReporters that the attackers were suspected to be members of a terrorist group that had earlier clashed with security operatives in Yaru town before moving towards Wande.
The source said security forces launched an operation against the group in Yaru on Wednesday morning, forcing the attackers to retreat before later targeting Wande community.
“They pushed them yesterday morning at Yaru again. They ran towards that end,” the source said.
The latest incident adds to growing security concerns in parts of Kwara South, where residents have repeatedly raised alarms over attacks by armed groups.
Earlier reports had linked the security situation in the area to disagreements over the involvement of external security groups in addressing rising insecurity.
The Iru Ẹ̀kún Security Network, a security outfit associated with Yoruba activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, had alleged that Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq stopped its planned visit to the state.
The group said the proposed visit was aimed at meeting its members operating in Kwara, but the trip was suspended after the alleged objection from the governor.
The state government has not publicly responded to the allegation.
