Tension In Kwara Community As Bandits Abduct Two Teenage Girls, Move To Kidnap Monarch’s Wife

Panic has gripped residents of Babanla community in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State following a violent attack by suspected bandits on Monday night, which led to the abduction of two teenage girls.

The victims, identified as Aisha Yahaya and Mariam Yusuf, aged between 16 and 17, were reportedly kidnapped around 8:30 p.m., when the gunmen stormed the community on motorcycles and began shooting sporadically into the air.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to Sobi FM, a Kwara-based platform, confirmed that the attackers had made an initial attempt to abduct the wife of the traditional ruler, but she narrowly escaped.

In a swift response, local hunters were said to have mobilised and pursued the bandits into the surrounding forest. 

An exchange of gunfire was still ongoing in the early hours of Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

In a statement issued by a group of Concerned Indigenes of Babanla, the community lamented the deteriorating security situation, calling on the government authorities and the security agencies to urgently intervene.

SaharaReporters could not get reactions from the Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ejire Toun, as her phone rang out several times. 

SaharaReporters had on Monday reported that terrorists again struck in Kwara State, abducting at least three residents in two separate attacks in the last 12 hours. 

The latest victims include a popular Point of Sale (POS) agent identified as Yman, who was kidnapped Sunday night in Lafiagi town, and two Hausa men who were taken in the early hours of Monday, June 30, 2025, during a violent raid on Kokodo village.

A third person, a young girl, narrowly escaped capture after fleeing into nearby bushes.

Community sources had confirmed the incidents to SaharaReporters, describing a climate of worsening insecurity and helplessness in Kwara North.

“The attacks are becoming too rampant. The POS guy was kidnapped on Sunday evening, and now, this morning, the two other people, who are Hausa, were also kidnapped this Monday morning,” a source had told SaharaReporters.

“As we speak, nobody has heard from the kidnappers. But the vigilantes and the security operatives have been briefed, and they are currently working to rescue them,“ the source added.

These developments come barely a day after SaharaReporters reported the news of the abduction of a prominent agro-chemical dealer, popularly known as Alhaji Chemical, in Lafiagi town.

The victim was reportedly kidnapped from his residence in the Taiwo area of the town around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday by heavily armed men suspected to be bandits.

Eyewitness accounts suggest the attackers, who arrived on motorcycles, overpowered the local vigilantes guarding the area with superior firepower before whisking Alhaji Chemical away to an unknown destination.

Sources within the community confirmed that the assailants appeared to have specifically targeted the businessman, raising concerns that the operation was carefully planned.

The incident heightened fears among residents over the worsening security situation in Lafiagi and its environs.