Bandits have killed one person and abducted two others, including the village head of Rani in Patigi Local Council of Kwara State, in the latest wave of attacks rocking the North-Central region.
Sources said the attackers stormed the community around 7:00 p.m. on Sunday while residents were preparing for Maghrib prayers.
“They met us at the mosque,” one resident said. “The security situation here in Rani remains tense; we are still living in fear.”
In a related incident, suspected hoodlums have reportedly murdered a pastor with the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA), Rev. James Audu Issa, in Ekati village, also in Patigi.
Eyewitnesses said the cleric was killed after his abductors collected ransom from his family.
Issa, who was kidnapped on August 28, was initially held for a ₦100 million ransom.
His family managed to negotiate and pay ₦5 million, but the kidnappers allegedly demanded an additional ₦45 million before killing him.
A community leader described the killing as a “disturbing escalation” of banditry in Kwara North, warning that residents now live in “fear and despair.”
He lamented that the impunity of criminal gangs has reached alarming levels, with continuous cases of kidnapping, extortion, and murder.
Meanwhile, the founder of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Dr. Abdur-Raheem Oladimeji, has urged citizens to remain tolerant and hopeful despite the worsening insecurity.
He described the current situation as an “unconventional warfare” requiring wisdom and tactical approaches by the military.
Oladimeji expressed confidence that the state would overcome the menace, saying the government and security agencies are capable of restoring peace.
In Kogi State, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo visited Isanlu-Esa in Yagba West Local Council on Monday, pledging to stamp out criminal activities in the area following recent kidnappings and killings along Okunran, Okoloke, and Isanlu-Esa communities.
During the visit, the Commander of the Nigerian Army in charge of operations, Brigadier General K. U. Sidi, commended the synergy among security agencies and thanked the governor for his continuous support and provision of logistics.
The traditional ruler of Isanlu-Esa, Oba Olufemi Ogunremi Theophilus, also hailed Ododo’s visit as a mark of “responsive and responsible leadership,” urging sustained security presence in the area.
Governor Ododo, in his remarks, sympathised with affected families and reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to defeat criminal elements across Kogi State.