The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that 10 residents were kidnapped during a violent attack on the Isapa community in Ekiti Local Government Area on Monday evening.
The incident, carried out by suspected armed herders, saw dozens of gunmen invade the community around 6pm, firing shots as villagers fled.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the command received multiple distress calls about the attack at about 6:30pm on November 24, prompting the deployment of tactical teams to the scene.
Ejire-Adeyemi said, “preliminary investigations showed that the attackers invaded the community around 6:05 p.m., firing repeatedly as they advanced through the settlement. A woman who sustained a gunshot wound to her leg had since been treated and discharged. Further details from police operatives discovered that 10 persons were later abducted.”
Following the attack, the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, visited Isapa for an immediate assessment and met with key traditional rulers, including the Onisapa of Isapa Land, Oba Gbenga Adeyeye, and the Olokesa of Okesa Land, Oba Olu Olusegun, alongside local leaders.
During the visit, the CP assured the community that the police were working to track down the kidnappers. “The CP assured residents that the command had intensified operations to rescue the victims and restore confidence in the area,” the statement noted.
The police also confirmed that joint teams of tactical units and local vigilante groups were currently combing the surrounding forests for the abducted residents.
According to Ejire-Adeyemi, “A search-and-rescue operation is ongoing, and normalcy has been restored to the village. The situation is under strict monitoring.”
The attack adds to a growing list of violent incidents in Ekiti LGA, coming just days after 38 worshippers kidnapped from Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, were freed after five days in captivity.
Meanwhile, a religious crusade in Agboda village, Nasarawa State, descended into confusion on Monday night after attendees fled in panic over rumours that armed herders were advancing toward the gathering.
A video circulating online shows worshippers running in all directions as shouts filled the air, though no armed individuals appeared in the footage. The man recording the clip claimed the crowd fled because of feared herdsmen.
“They came for a crusade here in Agboda in Nasarawa State. We came in for crusade in this community today, look at what the herdsmen did. As you can see the way people are moving… you can see the youth, everybody is unrest for the sake of herdsmen,” he said.
But Ramhan Hansel, spokesperson for the Nasarawa police command, noted that no such incident had been reported.
“We don’t know where that incident happened, and there is no report of anything like that in Nasarawa State, so you can help us speak to the person in the video if you know him and ask him to kindly come forward,” he told The Cable.
He noted that police have seen the viral clip but cannot act without basic details. Officers, he added, have been contacting divisional heads across the state.
“Since morning, we have been calling all DPOs across the state asking ‘where is this place located?’, but we are yet to get any feedback,” he said, appealing for eyewitnesses to come forward.
