A suspected bandit attack in Lafiagi, the headquarters of Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State, has left one person dead and two women abducted.
The incident occurred on Monday night in the Sodo/Sawmill area on the outskirts of the town, according to local sources.
Residents said armed men stormed a Fulani settlement at about 8 p.m., firing gunshots and causing panic in the community. The attackers reportedly targeted a prominent Fulani leader but failed to capture him.
During the raid, the gunmen abducted two women identified as wives of the Fulani leader before fleeing the area. A male resident was killed as the attackers retreated.
Security sources said troops and other security personnel responded to distress calls and confronted the attackers, forcing them to abandon parts of their operation and retreat into nearby forests.
Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, confirmed the incident on Tuesday.
"One man was killed while two women, aged 25 and 35, who are wives of the Seriki Fulani, were abducted," Adekimi said.
He added that the attackers appeared to have specifically targeted the Fulani leader, identified as an Ardo.
"The attackers targeted the Fulani leader, Ardo. We are still on their trail. Before we arrived, the military had repelled them and they fled into the forest, but efforts are ongoing to apprehend them," he said.
The attack has heightened security concerns in Edu Local Government Area and other parts of Kwara North, where communities have experienced a series of kidnappings and armed attacks in recent months.
Residents have called for increased security deployment and sustained operations against criminal groups operating in forested areas across the region.
