Hundreds Of Bandits Attack Kwara Community, Kill Police Officer, Four Others

Five people, including a police officer, were killed on Friday when hundreds of armed bandits stormed Babanla, a town in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The attackers, who rode into the community on motorcycles, reportedly targeted the local police station and the town’s market, unleashing chaos and forcing residents to flee for safety.

State Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday. She identified the slain officer as Adejumo Wasiu, adding that the assault was repelled through a joint operation involving the police, Nigerian Army, vigilantes, and local hunters.

According to Mrs Ejire-Adeyemi, calm has since been restored to Babanla, while security operatives have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators.

She disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, alongside the Director of the State Security Service (SSS), visited the community to assess the situation. The security chiefs met with the traditional ruler, Oba Yusuf Alabi, and toured key areas affected by the attack.

The police commissioner has ordered sustained armed patrols, intensified intelligence gathering, and the deployment of specialised tracking units. The SSS, in turn, pledged continued intelligence support to ensure all suspects are apprehended.

The attack underscores the worsening security crisis in Kwara’s southern senatorial district. A PREMIUM TIMES special report in June highlighted the persistent wave of violent crimes plaguing the area despite state government interventions.

Last week, a viral video on social media showed parts of Ifelodun LGA deserted by residents after months of repeated bandit raids. Communities such as Eka, Upper Eka, Lower Eka, Kudagbari, Gbanmu, Oloruntele, Baba Sango, Ibudo Idowu, Ibudo Olosun, Ayetoro, and Apata Olosun are among those abandoned.

The federal government, in response to the growing insecurity, has deployed five fighter aircraft to bolster security operations in the region.