Tension has gripped Oke-Ode community in Kwara State following fresh attacks that reportedly left several people dead and forced residents to flee from their homes.
Videos circulating on social media show distraught community members mourning their loved ones while others were seen evacuating in panic.
In one of the videos, a grieving woman lamented the killing of her husband and accused authorities of complicity. She said:
“They have killed my husband, I have no one, I am the one videoing myself. Kwara state government, they have killed my husband. The Department of State Services gave guns to Miyetti Allah after collecting guns from Yoruba Vigilantes.”
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She further narrated how the attack unfolded, stating:
“My husband was coming home, they broke the glass of the vehicle he was in and killed him and his brother, they killed 14 persons. They killed 10 vigilantes and took away husband and wife.”
Visibly overwhelmed with grief, she continued: “We currently are at Oke-Ode, the community is scattering, even the Police cannot do anything, they are not in control of anything. This is my husband, Ishola, I cannot run from his corpse, I cannot run from my husband’s corpse.”
Accusing the government of negligence, she said: “The government kept quiet and sent the DSS, the DSS failed to use any helicopter except at night, while the attackers now came in the afternoon. They came 7am in the morning, you all can see me, you can see me.”
In another video seen by SaharaReporters, residents of Oke-Ode were captured leaving the community amid heightened fear of more violence.
An affected resident said: “These are people entering vehicles and running away, even using Keke Napep (Tricycle). We have made efforts and we are tired. People are running away from the community even students.”
The latest development has sparked renewed calls for urgent government intervention as the community struggles with insecurity and displacement.
On Sunday, SaharaReporters reported an attack in Oke-Ode, Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.
The Kwara State Police Command later confirmed that 12 vigilante members, including the Baale (Community leader) of Ogbayo, were killed during the armed attack on Sunday morning.
In a statement on Sunday, the command said the incident occurred at about 7:00 a.m. when gunmen invaded the Ogbayo area of Oke-Ode and opened fire indiscriminately.
On Monday, SaharaReporters reported that panic gripped Essanti village in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State after armed bandits abducted two sons of a community youth leader in a brazen daylight attack on Monday.
The victims were reportedly seized around 1:30pm while returning from their farm.
Residents told NupekoTV that the abductors revealed to the victims that they were heading to Essanti after learning that villagers had begun fleeing the community out of fear of repeated night attacks.
A source who later communicated with the kidnappers disclosed that the attackers said abducting the youth leader’s sons would reduce the need for further night invasions, as the move was meant to intimidate residents and weaken the community’s resolve.
The victims, after confirming to their captors that they were from Essanti, were immediately taken hostage.
On Sunday night, bandits launched a violent raid on Marri Village in the Patigi Local Government Area of the state, leaving one person dead and another injured.
According to NupekoTV, the attack, which took place amid heavy rainfall between 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm, saw the assailants storm the community and make away with several motorcycles.
“However, the military responded swiftly to the distress call. With the prompt intervention of the Nigerian Army, all the stolen motorcycles were successfully recovered from the fleeing criminals,” the report said.
According to the report, the swift intervention brought some relief to residents, though security concerns continue to plague Kwara North.
