Bandits have attacked the Isapa community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 11 residents in a fresh wave of violence that has unsettled the region.
The attack, which occurred on Monday, comes barely two weeks after a similar incident in the same LGA, when 38 worshippers were kidnapped from a church in Eruku.
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According to community sources, the attackers, estimated to be more than 20, invaded Isapa at midday, arriving with a large herd of cattle and firing gunshots indiscriminately.
Their gunfire left an elderly woman injured after she was struck by a stray bullet.
A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that 11 people were taken away during the operation, including seven members of the same family.
“The kidnapped victims include a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several young children”, the source said.
The identities of the abducted have been confirmed as Talatu Kabiru, aged 20; Magaji, 6; Kande, 5; Hadiza, 10; Mariam, 6; Saima, 5; housewives Habibat and Fatima Yusufu, the latter pregnant; Sarah Sunday, 22; Lami Fidelis, 23, a nursing mother; and Haja Na Allah, also a nursing mother.
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Eyewitnesses said the gunmen moved through parts of the town, leaving walls and doors riddled with bullet holes. Several expended AK-47 shells were later recovered scattered across the community after the attackers fled with their victims.
Residents say fear has intensified across the LGA, particularly because Monday’s attack follows the recent abduction at Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Eruku, where 38 members were kidnapped and others reportedly killed.
All the church abductees have since regained their freedom.
