BREAKING: Failed Traditional Ruler Abduction As Bandits Invade Kwara Community, Injure Two Residents
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Suspected bandits on Thursday evening invaded Yaru community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State in a failed attempt to abduct the traditional ruler, the Oniyaru of Yaru, leaving two residents injured and throwing the community into panic.
Security sources told SaharaReporters that the heavily armed assailants stormed the community with the apparent intention of kidnapping the monarch but were successfully repelled by a combined team of local hunters, vigilantes and military personnel.
According to one of the security sources, the attackers failed to achieve their mission despite the surprise invasion.
“The bandits were repelled. Only two injuries were suffered by residents,” the source said.
The source added that fear has since gripped the entire community following the attack.
“The whole community is in a panicking mood. We learned they came for the Oniyaru of Yaru, but they failed,” the source told SaharaReporters.
The source further disclosed that the attackers were forced to retreat after fierce resistance from local security volunteers and soldiers deployed to the area.
“Hunters, vigilantes and soldiers repelled them,” the source added.
The attempted abduction comes barely two days after another suspected bandit attack in nearby Gaa Ogele, where three persons were kidnapped, raising fresh concerns over the deteriorating security situation in parts of Ifelodun Local Government Area.
A source familiar with the earlier incident told SaharaReporters that the kidnappings occurred in Gaa Ogele, a community located between Igbaja and Yaru.
“Two days ago, there was a similar incident at Gaa Ogele. Three persons were kidnapped,” the source said.
“Ogele is in-between Igbaja and Yaru. They are Fulani-Bororo.”
The source, however, expressed concern over suspicious circumstances surrounding the aftermath of the kidnapping, stating that the victims’ families were unwilling to cooperate with security operatives investigating the incident.
“But something is suspicious about them. When hunters, Forest Guards and AKS visited in the morning, the families refused to cooperate. Rather, they preferred to be silent about it,” the source added.
The back-to-back attacks have heightened anxiety among residents of Yaru, Gaa Ogele communities and entire Ifelodun , with many expressing fears over the growing activities of suspected bandits operating across the area.